Framed
by versendeal
Summary: Severus Snape has been living in his painting in the Headmaster's office for the past 41 years, when Jasona enters his life. What does the mysterious purple metal ball have to do with Severus Snape's past and will Jasona ever get out of the painting again
1. Trapped

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

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**FRAMED**

Severus looked down at the two Slytherin girls sitting in the Headmasters' office and sighed out of boredom. This was the most annoying part of being a painting: having to witness all those nitwits coming up here with their futility's. Now if _he_'d still be the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he would not allow everyone getting up in this tower all the time!

Only last week Professor Longbottom had brought a first year Ravenclaw up for refusing to touch one of his precious plants. You'd think a professor would know how to handle a student himself. And it wasn't just Longbottom, no, every Professor had slipped into the habit of leaving their problems with the Headmaster! As if the job didn't have responsibilities enough!

He took another look at the girls. One of them was blond and had a very serious look upon her face while the other – a good-looking dark haired chubby girl– didn´t seem to take being up here as serious as her friend. Both had been in the office many times before. Mostly for small matters, but he remembered the chubby one being charged for a serious offence last year. She was caught spinning her fellow student Blair up in the air in the Great Hall during breakfast. The poor boy had been naked at the time.

It had not seemed she'd cared for the consequences, she had just been standing there, laconic, sending the still shivering boy annoyed looks.

It had amused him and part of him wished he had witnessed the scene himself. He had overheard one of the paintings gossiping that the boy had screamed for help on top of his longs, but everyone had just pointed and laughed. Well - that was - until Professor Flitwick released him from his anguish. Apparently Mr. Blair wasn't very well loved.

He could not imagine this visit would be remotely interesting for him to hang around for, so he set off for his daily stroll around the castle.

#

Jasona sat back in her chair and scowled at her friend who had basically forced her to come up to the Headmasters' office with her. She thought it was ridiculous to show him the toy she'd found on her way back from Hogsmeade the previous weekend. She smiled at the memory of that day: It had been a great way to celebrate her 18th birthday! But Leila was really worried so she'd caved after the three hundred and fortieth rant about the danger of picking up random objects.

Her friend had grown up with continues warnings about Dark Magic from her Auror father and war hero grandfather, so it wasn't so strange that Leila was nervous about everything out of the ordinary. But to Jasona, whose family had been traveling through the darkest jungles of Africa in the years Voldemort had risen back to power, those things weren't very real. She took it as stories in books that were interesting, but no more than that. Sometimes it really annoyed her when old people felt the need to go on and on about those days!

"I'll be right with you girls!" Professor Muse popped his head through the doorway, into his office. His friendly eyes smiled at them before he disappeared.

Jasona studied the room and wished the Headmaster would just hurry up and let them go. She played with the small purple metal ball in her hand. It swiftly glided through her fingers. Leila send her a frustrated look. "Stop it!" she exclaimed. Jasona looked up, wondering what she had done. Then she realized what her friend meant and quit playing with the ball. "I bet he dismisses us with one of those funny smiles he gives when he thinks we've just wasted his time!"

Leila got up, angry. "I don't care!_ 'Better be safe then sorry_,' that's what my grandpa always says." Jasona got up on her feet as well. "Well, your grandpa lived in another time, didn't he? We are safe! There'll be nothing to be sorry about because this is a harmless little thing!" She threw the ball high in the air and caught it. "See!" She raised her eyebrow in defiance before she threw it up again.

"Accio ball!" Leila put her wand out and pointed it at the ball. It floated towards her. Jasona had expected this to happen and pointed her own wand at the ball. "Accio ball!" she said, with a smirk on her face.

Leila grabbed the ball out of the air before it could float back towards Jasona. "You're an idiot!" She hissed as she squeezed it in her hand.

Suddenly a purple flash appeared from inside the ball and it traveled to Jasona with the speed of light. Both girls stood frozen in shock. A fog-like substance surrounded Jasona and disappeared, leaving an empty spot where a chubby girl had stood seconds before.

#

Jasona felt a sharp pain traveling fast through her bones. She was weightless for a second. Then she was dropped down hard. She found herself still standing and she opened her eyes to check where she had landed. Looking around, she realized she was still in the Headmasters office. Something was different though.

Leila was staring at the empty spot Jasona had stood seconds before, with a terrified look in her eyes. Then she let out a scream. Professor Muse came running out, but Leila was unable to explain herself, she just pointed at the empty spot.

Jasona stepped forward to comfort her friend, but her foot bumped to a wall. Looking left and right, she thought she must be standing behind what seemed to be a window. She had to climb out of it, she thought. But she couldn't grab the wood. She turned sideways to find another way out, but she was trapped between impenetrable walls. A slight panic overcame her when the realisation hit her:

She was trapped inside a painting!

She sat down on the ground and put her head in her hands. She felt embarrassed and ashamed for her foolishness. Leila had been right – the toy was dangerous and she'd been so airy about it all! She wasn't ready to face the humiliation. She had to just sit here and think of a plan that would not make her look so bad. She had to be quick though, for whoever owned this spot in Muses' office, wasn't going to stay away forever! Especially not when a girl just vanished from the Headmasters office!

#

Severus sat in his favourite painting, high in the south tower, enjoying his view of the blue sky outside. Closing his eyes, he leaned back at the tree and smiled genuinely. These were the moments he savoured. He loved being by himself and he could really use the energy he regained from it. It had been a busy week in the office. He deserved this, he thought with a hint of indulgence.

After a while he became aware of excited – no- _frightened _voices from the castle below. Curiously he decided he'd check them out. His peace had been broken anyway.

On his way down, bits and pieces of conversations made him change direction towards the office he'd started to call home. A strange cold had come over him. A worry that had not triggered him for at least forty years had surfaced. He'd better move quickly!

He noticed the girl before he entered his painting. He squeezed his eyes, afraid she might have perished, but then he saw her move. She had the air of someone who did not want to be found and he wondered why. For the moment he decided to go with it. He stepped beside her and coughed.

He felt her sudden movement as she touched his leg in alarm. He sensed her fear. Strangely, this excited him in a way he had not been excited for a long time. Professor Muse turned towards him and Severus saw his worry. He was holding a purple coloured metal object as he approached his painting. Hope leaked from the Headmasters' voice as he showed him the ball.

"Severus, we need your expertise. A student vanished from this very room and we fear she might be trapped inside this .. artifact."

One short look was enough for Severus Snape to recognize the object Muse was holding in his hand. It took him all his strength not to gasp.

Jasona looked up at the former Headmaster whose painting she inhabited. Surely he must have noticed her. What were his motives for not giving her away? For now she was grateful though, for she could not think clear enough to come up with a good explanation why she'd hid herself – not one they'd understand.

All those times she'd been in this office and she could not remember any of the former Headmasters faces. Let alone their names! Apparently this one's was 'Severus'. She tasted the sound on her lips as if she could learn his character from the way his name was pronounced. The man himself stood confident and solid. She could not make out his face, but she saw he was pale and had long black hair that needed to be washed. He had thrown his black cape over his shoulder and he was watching Professor Muse walking up and down the room. He smelt like shoe polish. She closed her eyes for a moment to inhale.

Was it selfish of her to let them think she was gone? Probably. But the moment of showing herself had long passed. If she'd stand up now, the situation would be worse than before. And she had the distinct feeling that even if she'd try to get up, this _Severus_ man would not let her. He was involved in her disappearance now, whether she wanted it or not.

The caped man spoke in a deep, husky voice. The low timbre gave her an involuntary shudder. She listened to what he had to say. ".. I can think of many causes, Professor Muse. Did anyone witness how it works?"

She heard Leila's shrill voice answering. Severus watched her intently as she was speaking. Then he nodded softly. "Obviously," he said, "It's some kind of entrapment. Don't touch it. I'll see who I can find to tell us more about it. I might have an idea where to start."

His hand came out of nowhere. He painfully grabbed her shoulder and pulled her along as he walked out of the frame. She expected to be knocked to the wall, but she glided through the framework like a ghost. She tried to stand up but he pushed her down again. "Stay out of frame, you silly girl!" He let out in a soft whisper. Everything about him screamed anger and frustration. She thought she'd better do as she were told until they'd be in a safer place. Then she'd make it clear she would not tolerate being spoken to like that – no matter who he pretended to be.

#

Horrible visions were swimming through his mind. Memories he'd never wanted to surface again. His anger against the girls' recklessness rose with ever step he took. How could she throw him back in time like this.. How _dare_ she! He rested in the library. This late at night no one would be there. All the inhabitants were in the castle, visiting friends to share today's gossip.

He let go of the girl in the middle of a still. He distanced himself before turning back to her. She was rubbing her sore shoulder and looked at him with tired eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but he didn't want to hear her questions, he needed her answers. He had one thing on his mind as he began shouting at her.

"Where did you get it! Where did you find that ball!"

#

She laughed.

#

She actually laughed at him! He had thought he could not get angrier than he was, but he'd been wrong. His hands were tingling, ready to strike her, but he forced himself to control the urge. He watched her sitting at the table. To his horror, she took a bite from one of the tastefully displayed apples. The girl looked back at him in an apologetic way. "Haven't had dinner."

He closed his eyes to suppress his irritation. It had been forever since he last used Occlumency and he hoped he wasn't too much out of practice.

#

She knew she shouldn't have laughed. It was rude to say the least. It was just that people shouting made her extremely uncomfortable. Her parents used to fight all the time and she'd learned to let it stop bothering her by thinking happy thoughts. When she looked into the angry face of the shouting bat-like man, her first impulse had been to think of something that made her happy. Right at that moment, an image of him kissing her had come into her mind. The image had completely thrown her off, the thought of being kissed at a moment like this was so ridiculous, that she couldn't help but laugh.

She'd seen his reaction. She'd hurt him deep, but how could she explain why she'd laughed? She had to do something, she couldn't continue standing there, staring into those pit black eyes. The apple tasted good though! She glanced back at the corner where he was still standing and wondered why he was pulling those faces.

#

He had completely forgotten that it was impossible to do magic inside a painting. It annoyed him immensely to just be the painted essence of the man he was before he died. He could think of a thousand ways to make her speak. But they were all done by magic. Conversational skills were not high on the list of Severus Snapes' virtues, and he didn't want to use physical force to get the information he needed. What he wanted, was a way in her head. If not through magic, he should try being friendly. It seemed to work for some people.

He sat in the other chair and watched her eat. He tried to smile, but he knew it failed when she looked away with fright in her eyes. He needed a different approach. "What's your name?" His voice had a silky sound and he was pleased he made it sound like he was actually interested. She turned her head back towards him and studied his face curiously. He made sure she could not see what he was truly thinking and tried another smile. This time she responded. She hesitantly smiled back. It surprised him that her smile seemed to reach his insides. He could feel his blood warm up and there was a curious sensation prickling on his skin.

"My name is Severus. Severus Snape."

Encouraged by her earlier response, he send her another smile. He could feel her doubt. She wasn't completely convinced he had different intentions than before, and he could not really blame her for it. Part of him was impressed she didn't cave so easily. She clearly wasn't the silly girl he had taken her for.

#

She told him. It didn't really matter to her, and something about those eyes – a silent plead – made her feel weak inside. Maybe he could help after all. Maybe he knew more. The man across the table was particularly interested in the place she had found the metal ball. She had to describe every single detail, over and over again, though there wasn't much to tell. It had just laid there in the grass, next to the road, and she'd picked it up. She liked the colour.

He interrogated her: had there been anyone else? Had she noticed anything different? At times he seemed to remind himself to smile at her. He must think it would open her up, make her feel more comfortable, but it distracted her. The smiles never reached his eyes and it made her wonder who was living behind that pallid mask. What would happen if anyone broke through?

After a quarter of an hour he stood up and walked across the room. Her eyes followed him curiously.

"What is it?"

She felt now it was time for her to get some answers back. He didn't move. She wondered if he'd heard her and tried again.

"Severus.."

He turned back at her, his eyes squeezed together with a cold look on his face.

"_Professor _Snape!" He snapped at her.

She swallowed. He must be really worried. Why wasn't she? Why was she so calm? Didn't she want to go back to the physical world? What was the matter with her! She felt the tears well in her eyes. She swallowed again. She didn't want to cry in front of him.

#

Oh great, he'd made her cry. He turned his back to her once more and leaned his hand against the wall. He thought about what she'd told him. It was bad. Clearly someone had put it on the path with the intention for it to be found. Someone who was up to no good. He wondered who it had been – who had found it in the first place! To his knowledge, every single piece had been destroyed the night before the Dark Lord fell!

He only realised she'd stood up, the moment he felt her warm hand on his shoulder. Every single muscle in his body tightened. He held his breath. Tensions built up inside of him. He wanted her to remove her hand, but at the same time he feared it would leave him with a longing for more. He could not remember the last time a woman had touched him.

"Professor Snape?"

She was mocking him, there was no doubt about it. He had not meant to snap at her, it had been an instinctive reaction. Her hand dropped – he missed it immediately. He felt his breath return, his muscles relax. He wasn't sure whether his voice would hold so he kept silent.

She didn't give up though. From the corner of his eye he saw her leaning back against the wall beside him. She crossed her arms and waited. He could feel her eyes searching his face. He couldn't concentrate with her so near.

Jasona _knew_ a lot of people were repulsed by her appearance. She had seen it in their eyes on many occasions – especially when she was eating. It never really bothered her, for she knew she was a good person and if people couldn't make the effort to see that through her layers of fat .. Well, she decided a long time ago that it would be their problem, not hers. But somehow it had hurt her feelings when she had realized the black eyed man was repulsed by her. She suddenly was very aware of her body. It confused her. He did not know her, he had no right to throw her aside like a worthless piece of garbage. It wasn't as if he was all that himself, with his greasy hair and his sick looking white skin! Why didn't he talk to her! A rush of anger flushed through her body. She could not resist.

"I bet you don't know much about the Dark Arts at all. I bet you don't know much about anything. Did they ask for your help so you would not disturb them while the real experts are doing their jobs?"

He slowly turned his head towards hers and looked at her with a sardonic smile upon his lips. He searched her face before he replied.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?"

She shrugged and looked away shyly. "Aren't you one of those former Headmasters?" She felt him staring at her and found the courage to look back up. She could not define the look in the eyes that hypnotised her.

His voice was heavy with sarcasm. "And the last thing you remember from 'History of Magic' are those pretty shoes your neighbor wore?"

When he turned away, his cape waved behind him. She realized he'd left the room when it was too late. "Wait!" she called out. She knew she would not be able to cross the barrier without him, but she tried anyway. She ran towards the wall and crashed. The encounter left a painful spot on her right arm. She looked up the wall in frustration. Then an awful thought hit her: what if he wouldn't come back!

She panicked. "Mr. Snape... Professor! I can't leave this painting without you! I need you!"

#

Two men and a very frightened girl were staring in the same direction. The younger man reached out, but the elder man prevented him to touch the object on the table. Professor Muse shook his head. "He told us not to." The other man looked annoyed.

"How can we examine it if we can't even hold it!" He turned his doubtful face towards the Headmaster. "I have taught Defense Against The Dark Arts for twelve years now .. and before that I was a bloody good Auror. I've never heard of anything like what Miss Canopée told us just now. It comes closest to some of the magic from the Voldermort days.."

Professor Muse interrupted him. "That's why I had to ask Severus. And that's exactly why we need for him to come back before we can even think of warning the Ministry, Terry."

"Professor Rex?" Leila looked at her teacher with fearful eyes. "She's not coming back, is she? I killed her ..." The Professor shared an uncomfortable look with the Headmaster and checked his watch. "I don't know Leila. Let's say for the moment that everything is going to be all right."

#

There had to be a way, he thought, to get her out of the painting. It was unacceptable for a child her age to be trapped like this. Forever.

For eternity.

For him?

No.

She was so young – what was she, sixteen?

Too young for him in any case. Impossible to even think about. He was a painting for Merlin's sake and she was a girl. A real one of flesh and blood! She wouldn't even look at him twice had she not been in the situation she was in right now. Girls like that never did, he experienced. She was arrogant, reckless, careless and lacked a certain basic knowledge, so why was he so tempted to go back to the library instead of the Headmasters office!

He had heard her cries for him and it had made him smile to know she would not be able to wander about. Something deep inside had stirred when he realized she would be there when he'd come back.

He moved on. He had to clear his mind. Focus. There would be much to explain and he could not afford to make a mistake. He wasn't prepared to tell the whole story though. Why should he? It would only make them more anxious. It was too complicated and he didn't owe them anything.

Not anymore.

He entered the familiar space and addressed Muse. The three people sitting at the desk looked up at once. "I think you ought to call for the Minister of Magic."

Muse nodded at Rex to do the honours. The Professor didn't need more encouragement and left the office. Muse walked towards Severus in thought.

"Did you find any clues? How can I open this ball?"

Severus shook his head. "You can't."

Muse studied his face. "Who can?"

This was the hardest part of the message he had to deliver. Severus answered with care. "The maker."

Muse nodded, understanding his next question would not give the ultimate answer. He had to ask though, for them to proceed.

"And do you know who made it?"

Severus nodded. His black eyes were locked with the Headmasters'. His words had the effect of a Dementors presence.

"I did."

#


	2. Animus Reprehendo

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

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**Animus Reprehendo**

Jasona sat back to the wall. It had been hours since Severus Snape had left her alone. At first she'd thought he'd ought to come back in a short time, realising she had not followed. But maybe he didn't feel any responsibility towards her. She started to doubt. It lead her to the point that she felt truly sorry about the things she said to him and longed to make it up to him. What if she had to stay here, alone, until the end of days?

She knew she was getting dramatic – even _she _knew the inhabitants of the other paintings had to come back sooner or later – but she felt lonely and rejected. She hated feeling that way. She hid inside her cloak. Even though she tried to think happy thoughts, bad memories surfaced. If only she had some distraction!

Her father, Darren Donova, had been a great wizard but he had failed to tell her mother – a Muggle – who he really was. He knew she would not have married him if he had told her, the effect on their lives would have frightened her, so he dropped the bomb on their wedding night. Apparently her mother had been so shocked when he had produced rosebuds and butterflies out of thin air, she had locked herself in the bathroom and screamed for help. By the time her father had explained himself, she was so beside herself that she needed to be committed to St. Mungo's for a month.

Nadine Donova had never forgiven him and trust had been a huge issue between them.

Unfortunately for her father, Nadine was against divorce so she never left him. But she had never forgiven herself for her part in creating a magical creature – a wizard child. She could hardly look into Jasona´s eyes and this had not improved when her father had been accidentally killed, opening a wrong door in the Ministry of Magic. Jasona had been eight at the time and she had never felt loved again after the day he had been buried.

#

Severus headed back to the still in the library. He was tired, it had been a long evening. He was grateful for Muses´ instinctive reaction to send the hysterical girl away the moment he had declared to be the only one who could open the ball. Sometimes he reminded him a lot of Dumbledore ..

When Rex had returned with the Minister of Magic he had started telling about the metal ball – or the Animus Reprehendo – like Voldemort had called it. He didn't feel it was necessary to tell the reason why he was asked to work on it, and they never asked. The solution to the problem was simple, but none of the attending wizards were sure if they should go for it. There were many ways in which it could go wrong and what if – just imagine what if – _others_ found a way of using it?

There would be chaos with catastrophic consequences!

He entered the room where he´d left her. He looked around and for a moment his heart stood still. She hadn´t gone, had she? But then he spotted her, in a corner on the ground. She had put her cloak around her for comfort and laid down her head on the floor.

He knelt down beside her and caved in to the urge to gently touch her face. He noticed the dried up tears on her cheeks and frowned. She moved feverishly in her sleep. He backed away but froze when she suddenly opened her eyes. It had been too long since anyone looked at him in that way.

He swallowed and opened his mouth to sneer at her, but nothing came. Her fierce embrace almost unbalanced him, his hands hung in the air, uncertain were to go.

"I´m so sorry!" Her voice trembled. She had no idea what she did to him. She just lay there, in his arms, trusting him. His blood rushed through his veins, he could feel his breath shorten. He closed his eyes and he let his hands rest on her back. He wanted to savour this moment forever.

He didn´t know how much time had past before she let go. He had to losen his grip on her. His shoulder felt cold without her head resting on it. She slowly put her face towards his and looked at him. Her eyes were big and begged for him to come closer. His mouth went dry. He searched her eyes, he didn´t want to misread what he thought she was asking for. Her lips opened in a silent invitation and she moved a little closer. He wasn´t strong enough to decline what he wanted so much.

Their lips touched and Severus could not remember having felt more alive than right at that moment. He pulled her closer and his hands searched her body for contact in a desperate quest for intimacy . She moaned softly. He could feel her hands gently playing with his long hair. This was good, not to think, just to ifeel/i.

#

She didn´t know if this was a dream or not. All she knew was his hands stroking her body, his lips touching hers. She had kissed boys before, but this, he, was different. This was true passion!

Suddenly he pulled away and stood up. He was softly panting. He looked at her as if she was his boggart.

For a moment she was afraid he was going to pull his wand on her. She instinctively pulled her own wand. "_Stupefy_!"

It didn't take her more than a second to realise how much of an idiot she had been. She could not believe what she had just done! Stupefying a man she kissed moments before – not just a man, a Professor! A Headmaster! And why had she done it? It wasn´t as if he´d harm her! He might even have protected her from acting more like a fool then she already had! Kissing him! He´d probably leave her _now_!

Then she realized nothing had happened. Well, inothing/i. Severus was still standing in front of her, watching her with a dangerous look in his eyes and – well it was clearly – an evil smile on his face. She wondered what he was thinking. _And why didn´t her wand work_?

"Stupefy?" He used the same silky voice he had used earlier that evening, only now there was an undertone of sarcasm which gave her the chills. She got up as well and looked at him in defiance. There was only one answer she could think of giving.

"Yes."

"Your reaction intrigues me. It makes me wonder what spells you use on men who go further then kissing you. "

She opened her mouth to tell him he was wrong when she realised he was talking about Leon Blair.

The man in front of her looked her up and down in a disapproving way. She couldn´t stand it. "It wasn´t like that.." He put his hand forward, an authorizing signal that automatically made her trail off her sentence. She wondered what it would have been like to attend his class. What had he taught? He had mentioned History of Magic.. but somehow she couldn´t see –

"We have more important things on our minds, don´t we?" She blushed under his piercing look. She nodded. "What did Professor Muse say?"

He waved her question away and sat down in one of the chairs. She carefully followed his lead and waited for him to speak.

"There´s a way to get you back. It´s complicated but it will work." She felt her heart take a quicker pace. She realised that during all these hours by herself, she had not once thought about what she´d tell the Headmaster about her carelessness. It seemed so childish now, to hide. She wasn´t sure though, if the idea of going back was more appealing to her now than it had been a couple of hours ago. She saw the empty look in his eyes, it saddened her to notice he had closed his mind from her again. But who could blame him after her foolish reaction?

She thought he might expect an answer. "When .. How soon?" She was careful not to sound disappointed. A smirk appeared on his face.

"You will have to be patient. There are problems to be solved before you can return to your .." He paused to make sure that the insult would have a better impact. ".. beauty parlour."

#

He had never met anyone with stranger impulses than the girl sitting opposite him. Not even the Marauders – or Voldermort, who had surprised him on many occasions! She intrigued him, but it was much better to keep her at a distance. She was a dangerous girl. Not because she just tried to Stupefy him, but rather because of the power she appeared to hold over him. She must never know.

"There are things I have to do, it might take some time. This means you will have to be on your own for a while." He could tell she didn´t like the idea. "I will have to take you to a place where you can .." He sensed her fear for the question rising inside of him. She obviously didn´t want to answer it. He didn´t care, he wanted to know. "Why did you hide from Muse?"

She turned away from him and played with the hem of her cloak. "Where are you going? Can´t I come with you?" She looked into his eyes for a moment before she concentrated on the hem again. It amused him that she tried to avoid an answer by questioning him.

"Why didn´t you want to be found?" She flat out refused to answer now. A thought entered his mind, a thought he hadn´t even considered before.

It took him moments to reach her. He bowed towards her in a threatening way. Her face was too close, inches away, but he wouldn´t let it distract him. She looked at him with scared eyes. Tortured, he pushed the feeling away.

"If you´ve kept any information, now´s the time to tell." She stared at him, swallowed ,and moistened her lips. He lost his patience and shook her roughly, but no answer came. He could feel his focus fading and he closed his eyes. "Tell me.." It sounded like a plea.

#

Jasona could not believe that he was leaving her. Again. It frightened her for reasons she could not comprehend. After all, she usually was the first to leave a company when she felt crowded and it never bothered her to spent her holidays home alone when her mother was travelling. And now he accused her of – she had no idea! There was something dark about him, his expression told her he was willing to kill those who were on the other side. But what side was he on – what sides _were_ there to be on!

"It´s stupid .." she started defiantly. He opened his eyes and she saw a flicker of triumph. She granted him the pleasure and continued. "I didn´t feel like going through the scolding and _'I-told-you-so's'_. I thought, if I´d just give them time to adjust to the idea of me being gone, they´d forget to be angry once they saw me .." she trailed off when she noticed the sardonic look upon his face. He moved away from her but did not break eye contact. "So what you´re saying is, you hid because of pride and selfishness?" She did not want to answer. She just stared back at him, hoping her look was as cold as his. "Do you know what you´re putting them through? Your friend thinks she´s killed you." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Imagine her relieve when she finds out you´ve only .._hid_."

She didn´t need this from him. She knew she had been wrong and he didn´t have to remind her. She raised from her chair and took a step towards him. To her surprise he stepped back. Why? Did he think she´d hurt him? But that was ridiculous, he was so much stronger then her. Or didn´t he believe what she´d said? Did he want to keep her on a distance because he thought she was a liar?

He seemed to agree that his reaction had been somewhat strange. He put out his hand and sighed when he walked towards her. "Let´s go before the other paintings come back."

#

"Where are we going?" Severus could hear her panting behind him but he kept going. They should not be seen. She was trying to keep up with him and if he had not been holding her hand, she surely would have lost him paintings ago. "Somewhere safe."

He was extremely annoyed with her. Or maybe more with himself for misjudging the girl. He really thought there was more to her and now it turned out she was nothing but an immature sad little schoolgirl. He should have realised this much earlier of course. Where had his mind been! To think he spent even a minute thinking of her, when he could have worked on solving the mystery of the Animus Reprehendo! Yes, that´s where his head should be, because he might be able to open the cursing thing later that evening.

There was much work to be done after that. Finding out who had put it beside the road. Finding out how they got their hands on it and, most importantly, finding out whether they knew of the true powers it possessed!

They entered the painting he had rested in earlier that evening. She bumped into him, too focused on keeping up with him to realise he had stopped. When he turned around, he noticed her face was red and sweaty. Somehow, her discomfort made him feel better.

"A pasture?" she puffed, "You´re leaving me on a pasture?" There it was, one sentence and she had brought back his irritation. She could at least appreciate the view, the peace and his consideration about the privacy that the barn in the distance would provide when she needed it!

#

She almost threw up. It had been a long time since she had to speed up like that. She really had to start working on her condition when she got out of here – she´d never realized she was in such a bad shape! Her heart was beating fast, she could hear a drum beating in her head. It was too loud to focus on anything else. Green. That was all she noticed around her. And of course the black of _his_ shape. When he was near, his presence was always on top of her mind. Somehow her brain thought it was funny to bless her with the ability of sensing him. Apparently she and her brain didn´t share the same sense of humour.

Once she´d steadied, she put her focus on him, standing in front of her. He had crossed his arms and wore the same disapproving look on his face as earlier. Maybe she should start getting used to it, she thought with a hint of sarcasm. "It´s nice," she tried unsuccessfully.

"I am late as it is." His disdainful look cut her deep but she tried not to show it. She nodded. "When will you be back?" He waited a moment before he answered. "It´s impossible to say." Another moment, then he put out his hand for a shake. She almost laughed. Thirty minutes ago they had shared the most passionate kiss since the beginning of time and now he would leave her with a handshake? She knew a lot had happened since then, but some of that passion still had to burn inside of him. The way he was talking, it could take days before she would see him again!

She put her arms around him and pressed her body to his rigid limbs. She closed her eyes, taking the moment in before she let go of him. Her hands softly slipped down the front of his cape. She didn´t dare to look him in the eyes for fear she might meet his disapproval again. He cleared his voice before he spoke. "Don't get in trouble."

He passed her quickly and left the painting. She sat down in the grass and absent-mindedly played with the blades. Well, she thought with a sigh, at least she knew she didn´t repulse him. The memory of their kiss made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She laid down and smiled at the starry sky above. She had felt his desire and if she knew men, he would come back for more.

#

He just couldn´t believe himself! Not even minutes after he had decided she was uninteresting for someone of his calibre, he found himself yearning to answer her embrace with a kiss! Thank Merlin he would not be around her any more! This was certainly the last he´d seen of her. Well, at least until he´d be able to release her from the painting. And after that, no more Jasona. Not for him!

Muse was anxiously waiting for him when he entered. As they agreed earlier, Professor Rex and the Minister of Magic would not be in the office to witness them performing the spell. The less they knew, the better.

Muse smiled at him in a reassuring way. "Everything is ready Severus. We are ready .. Are you?"

He gave a quick nod. He wasn´t sure he was ready though. How could anyone be ready for this? They would be writing history and no one would ever read it. Which was good of course, because what they were about to do was wrong. Very wrong. They were about to mess with the essence of life and death. And when was the last time something good had come from that!

Severus told the Headmaster the words of the spell. Muse picked up the metal ball and pointed it at him, taking a deep breath before repeating the words. "_Animus Reprehendo_!" For a moment nothing happened. Then Severus saw a purple flash coming straight at him. It penetrated the barrier, found a way into the painting and surrounded him. The cloud seemed to scan every cell of his being. Then it recognized him for who he was. He felt a jerk when the cloud entered his body and all his bones seemed to swift in and out of place at the same time. He screamed out in pain. Then it was over, there was nothing but silence.

He opened his eyes and swallowed in disbelief. It had actually worked. He looked down at his hand, he made a fist. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around. Before him stood Muse, watching him with smiling eyes.

"Welcome back into the world, Professor Snape!"

#


	3. The Counter Curse

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

* * *

**The Counter Curse**

Severus hung his cape on the hook beside the door and looked around the room. A table with two chairs, a couch and a bed. It wasn't much, but it was _his_ for the time being. He put down the bag Muse had given him. He was sure it would contain everything he'd need for a comfortable night. The four of them, Muse, the Minister, Rex and himself, had been talking for hours without reaching any conclusion. He had been sure he would be able to open the cursing ball, as it had done in the past, but nothing had happened when he'd touched it.

Muse had thought of everything though, giving him a good cover that would not be suspicious. His lips curled. To teach again!

He sat down at the table and opened the bottle of wine that had waited for his arrival. He leaned back, taking a sip. Ah, this felt good!

He could get used to this again. He could forget all about his mission, the Animus Reprehendo and _especially_ the girl up in the south tower. It would be so easy. He wondered if they'd find him if he'd disappear. It could happen, the spell might have gone wrong. The real question was, could he do it. Could he live with himself, knowing someone out there was using the Dark Magic he created?

But that was beside the point. Did he really value his own stolen life above that of a teenage girl? Did he deserve it more?

Well of course he did! He was, after all, Severus Snape! He pulled the rest of his drink in one draw and put it on the table with a loud bang.

As he poured himself another drink, he wondered where he should start his research. Who had known about the purple ball? He crossed of the list in his mind. Rosencrantz – dead. Limestone – imperio. Coldwater – imperio. Stonehenge – dead. Voldemort, well quite obviously, dead. And then there had been himself. How could there have been a leak? Had someone had access to the files without him knowing? Even so, there could not have been a way of taking anything from the lab. He put up dozens of protective spells.

Severus sighed. He would start his research first thing in the morning after he'd slept, really slept, for the first time in almost half a century.

#

Jasona stretched out her arms and yawned. She had slept in the hay and it had been surprisingly comfortable. She wondered what she would do today. Probably just laze around, since there was not much else to do. She could try counting the blades of grass, but she decided against it. She'd better save it for the day when she would be so bored she wished she had a book, she thought with a smile.

Closing her eyes again, she wondered what_ he_ was doing. Probably reading. She pictured him, studying a pile of books, before she fell into a slumber.

#

Days turned into weeks. Severus had not gotten any closer to solving the mystery. It frustrated him. He had gone up the tower a couple of times, just to watch Jasona from the shadows, but she was never there. He kept hoping for a glimpse, then he might show himself and they could talk. He really needed someone to talk too. Muse was al right, and he had some interesting discussions with Rex, but they didn't make him feel the way he had felt when he was with her. In the end he decided it took too much energy to lurk around. He should focus on fixing her problem, that would also solve his own.

But maybe he was looking at the problem from the wrong perspective. Maybe he should turn it all around and start with the end. Jasona had picked up the ball by the road, hadn't she? Someone had put it there .. Had someone put it there for _her_ to be found? Someone who knew she would pick it up and take it with her?

Of course!

No one who knew what they had, would leave the Animus Reprehendo without having a purpose! A buzz of excitement hit him. He felt he was getting closer to the truth. All he had to do now, was question everyone she knew. Starting at Hogwarts might prove to be a challenge. Until the opportunity rose, he would have to start with her family.

The next morning he was standing outside the Muggle apartment building where Jasona's mother lived in. He checked his Muggle clothes. It was a cold December day so he had decided to put on a lined leather jacket over his sweater. It had cost him some time to get dressed, but in the end he was satisfied with the result. He looked like a real Muggle.

He rang the bell which was immediately answered by a lofty woman's voice.

"Yes?"

Severus answered. "I'm Professor Snape, ma'am. I have some questions concerning your daughter." There was a long silence before he heard the buzzer. On the first floor, the door was opened by an attractive forty something woman with blond hair – obviously not her own colour. She looked him up and down, ignoring the hand he held out. A short nod invited him into her house.

#

".. and then she, like, vanished! That's what I heard!"

Severus could not believe his luck. He was having breakfast at the Hufflepuff table, surrounded by other second year girls. Other, because as for now, he was one of them. Deborah, a short twirly girl, had been the first person on leave who he could impersonate. Her grandfather had died that morning and she had not been able to tell anyone about it yet. Muse had shown him some strings of her hair laying on the ground of his office, and the Polyjuice potion had done the rest.

So now, here he was. He had ten hours before he would run out of the potion, ten hours to get all the information he needed. He hoped he could get rid of that annoying girl sitting next to him though. She worked on his nerves but he was pretty sure he impersonated someone who wouldn't hex a friend.

Two hours later though, Severus Snape was prepared to give up his left arm if 'Hannah' would just let him_ breathe _for five minutes!

She wasn't useful to him in any way, for she never associated with Jasona. All she said was hear-say. And the missing girl was not interesting any more, according to her. "It has almost been a month, right, so she is probably dead."

Severus could not suppress a jolt of surprise when Hannah said this. A month! He had been so busy, time had flown by. He had to admit though, that the reason he'd worked this hard, was to keep his mind off of her. An immense guilt ran through his veins, making his heart heavy. She must be so lonely!

But he didn't have time to feel guilty – or allow himself to think about the girl who's kiss he relived in his dreams every single night. He had to break free from Hannah's company and start moving in Jasona's circles. It was pointless sitting through another lesson when he could be closing in on the missing link right now!

"Miss Bottlewood?" Severus didn't realize right away he was being addressed. He looked back at Professor Neville Longbottom, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "Where do you think you're going?" All faces were turned towards him and he felt his face colour. His mouth went dry to be exposed to the sudden attention. He hated himself for this. He was an adult now, what did he care what they thought!

"Well?" Longbottom seemed to have practised this tone of voice. Severus had to suppress a smile when he recognized the tone he frequently used himself. "Bathroom Professor .. really need to go." He turned around and left the greenhouse.

It would be easy to approach boys as a girl, he knew.

He found a group of third year Ravenclaw boys standing outside. He caught their eye. Then he tried to stride passed them, eyes cast down. They noticed him, or rather, they noticed Deborah. One of them, a tall, darkish fellow, punched his friends. "Nice walk, Huffie!" he called at her. Severus looked back at them and did his best to sound flirty. "Thank you for noticing.." Then he winked, hoping the boy would follow him, which thank Merlin, he did. Hormones! One of the other boys yelled "Go for it, Thesis!"

"The Owlery?" He looked at Severus in a way that left no question to what his intentions were. A slight fear crept up to him, but he swallowed it away. He was fairly sure that if necessary, he could outrun the boy.

After a nod, they started walking towards the Owlery in silence. Severus knew, this was the time to talk because men (and boys were no exception to the rule) didn't usually like to chat after a rejection.

"Do you think they will ever find that girl? You know, the one that disappeared?" Thesis shrugged. "Probably not. She would've come back by now, wouldn't she?" He took a string of Deborah's hair and let it glide through his fingers. "Don't you worry though, nothing bad is going to happen to you." He send Severus a meaningful look.

Severus looked away, feeling extremely embarrassed. "Did you know her?" he asked. Thesis frowned. "Who?" "That girl!" "Oh," he smiled as they reached the staircase to the Owlery.

"Everybody knew Jasona.." He winked at Severus. "She kind of .. went around!"

Something inside of him went cold at these words. He let the boy take his hand and lead him up the stairs. "That is, until she pulled that trick on Blair. Poor man!"

Severus stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly realizing who he should be looking for. "

Where can I find Blair!" His voice sounded commanding. Thesis looked back in wonder. "What do you need him for? I'm the best kisser you've ever met!" Severus took a step back, repelled by the idea of kissing another man. Thesis could see he was losing the girls' interest and got greedy. He took back her hand and dragged her further up the staircase. "Besides, he's not even in Hogwarts any more!" Severus struggled to break free and ran down the stairs as the angry boy roared behind him: "You stupid tease! You're going to regret this!"

He had tuned out, thinking of ways to track down Blair, so it took him a while before he noticed the whispers and finger pointing during dinner. Hannah sat beside him with a disapproving look upon her face. "So that's why you left Herbology? To make out with that _creep_? Severus looked back at her in surprise. "How do you ..?" She snorted. "Everyone knows! What's the matter with you! I didn't even know you knew those guys! You never tell me anything."

He just couldn't help himself. "Maybe that's because you're the one talking all the time!" he hissed. Even though he felt bad for messing up Deborah's reputation, this was not the time to deal with it. When he got up to leave the Great Hall, he could feel the sneering behind his back. It felt terrible.

#

Jasona lay on her back, pretending to be dead. It was a game she'd become pretty good at in the past few weeks. Actually it was the only game she'd played for a couple of days now. There really was nothing else to do.

What she did was, she lay down, closed her eyes and listened to the muffled and unclear sounds coming from the castle below. She imagined herself laying in a coffin, relaxing her muscles and bringing down her breathing to the minimum.

It passed the day. Sometimes she thought she had always been there, alone in this painting. All her memories were merely dreams. Even the dark man must have been a figment of her imagination. There was only this .. nothing. She tried to limit her thoughts of Severus Snape while she was playing her dead game, for the memory of him always made her heart beat faster, which of course was ruining the game!

And why would she think of someone who had clearly forgotten her!

The door in the tower opened and Jasona got up quickly. She hurried towards the barn before the person entering could notice her. It had been weeks since the last time somebody came up here, and she had let down her guards. Softly panting, she stood behind the barn door, listening. A familiar voice called her name. She shook her head in disbelieve. No. This couldn't be, she must be imagining it. But there it was again, that low, silky voice. "Jasona. Please come out. I need to talk to you."

Confused she opened the door. And there he was, standing outside the painting, the man whose voice she thought she had just heard. Still, she could not believe her eyes! Slowly she walked up to him. Surely this could not be him. Maybe his son. Or his grandson? The thought of someone like him in her own world made her heart leap. "Who are you?" she asked apprehensive.

"I'm sure your remember me." He sounded hurried, like he didn't really want to be there in the first place. She stared at him. She didn't understand how he had become .. real! She felt cheated somehow, like he had taken something from her and used it for his own gain. If there was a way out, then why hadn't he told her! She felt extremely calm when she asked him. "When did you get out?"

"Right after we said goodbye. But listen.."

She lost control. "No! _You _listen!" She started screaming at him. "You left me here! Not a word, you just thought it was OK to disappear on me! How can you just stand there and act like you've got the right to be there! You're dead! You don't deserve to live!"

She looked around, desperately needing something to throw at him. But as she well knew, there was nothing, only grass. She threw her fists towards him, repeatedly banging them to the front of the painting. He waited impatiently for her to finish, which made her even angrier. All this time she had been comforted by the idea that she wasn't alone, that at any time he could come and talk to her, hold her. And she had been wrong. He had been enjoying himself doing – Merlin knew what – while she had almost died for a little attention!

"What are you doing here anyway? Gloating at me? Taking my painting down to burn it? As if I never existed? You filthy, low.."

He interrupted her. "Where can I find Blair?" She was dumbstruck for a moment. Then she looked at him suspiciously. "Why?" He answered her as if he were explaining an easy task to a slow child. "Because I have to find him."

She tried to get past her anger. "Leon. Leon Blair."

"Yes."

She searched his closed face. "And you're not going to explain yourself." A twisting muscle, but he didn't change his expression. "No."

Why did he want to find Leon? What was so important about _him_? She wasn't going to get an answer on these questions she sensed, but if she could just stretch her answer, she could at least have his company for a little while. For it was clear he would leave her as soon as he got what he came for. As much as she hated him right now, she could not face the thought of the loneliness ahead of her. For all she knew, this could be the last time she saw another face – ever!

#

"Well?" Severus raised and eyebrow for the effect and realised he was using his signature tone, the one that Neville Longbottom had adopted. He cursed himself for putting her through this, he saw in how much distress she was. He had better left her by herself until he had tracked down this Blair kid, but he just couldn't resist seeing her any longer.

He could just as well have asked Muse, or put a trace on the boy, something he was planning to do anyway. But he couldn't tell her a thing about his research or about the purple ball she had found. For one, he didn't know half the story himself, but secondly, she would probably hate him for having been involved in such a project. Hate him more then she did right now.

#

Why had she liked this cold, heartless man? What about him had attracted her, had made her _fantasize_! She must have been out of her mind! Or maybe she'd suffered some weird symptoms of the Stockholm Syndrome. She took a deep breath. "Why should I tell you? What are you going to do, hunt him down and put him in a painting? What are you getting out of it!"

There was a short silence before he answered. "So many questions. But if you like your new life, you could choose not to tell me anything of course." A new rush of anger came over her. "_Like_ it?" Her fist came down again. "Oh yes, I love it! It's the best thing that ever happened to me!"

He turned away from her and she panicked. "Don't leave!" she begged. Her exclamation hung in the air. He answered softly, almost friendly. "I won't."

She relaxed a little. Maybe he was trying to help her. Maybe she jumped to conclusions. She knew she had a tendency to do that. "Will you come back .. visit me?"

His voice had a strange undertone she could not place. "Every day." She hesitated once more. If she was wrong, if he was not trustworthy but the greatest actor ever, she risked a lot. She gambled on his good nature.

"I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since he graduated." Severus slowly turned back to her. She looked away. "We didn't really part as .. good friend."

"I know. Maybe you have some information though. Do you know where he lives?" She shrugged. "We didn't talk that much." She looked back up and saw his face turning back cold again. "I have reason to believe he put the Ani .. ball there for you to be found. So if you know _anything_, you would be helping yourself a great deal, miss."

She almost laughed at the idea of dim-witted Leon Blair coming up with such a complicated plan. "What reason might that be?" He squeezed his eyes. "Revenge." She let out a short, unimpressed snort. "Revenge. No. He would never do that. He learned his lesson." The dark man in front of her persisted though. He leaned towards her. "You took away his dignity. No man gets over that without a payback."

Jasona looked at him. So smug, he thought he'd figured it all out. He learned one detail and cut all the pieces to fit the puzzle. But he was wrong, so wrong.

She knew the look in his eyes. It was the same one she had seen in so many others only a year ago. It was a mixture of sole disappointment, accusation and curiosity which cut through her soul. She preferred the gossip and the sudden silences whenever she entered a room. Her House, she could understand. But him, what gave him the right to make her feel more insignificant then an insect?

How could he judge her on gossip alone!

He deserved to fail, she wanted to see the sorry look on his face when he came back to tell her how wrong he had been. The prospect made her glow inside. Smiling, she gave him what he had asked for. "He loved Quidditch. He never missed a 'Feverish Boggart' game."

#

Severus was standing in the shadow near the entrance of the stadium. He would not miss Blair getting in. For some reason he had not been able to find the wretched boy before, but his luck was about to change.

As promised a week earlier, he had spent his evenings in the tower with Jasona. He liked their evenings together. They started with him telling her a few of the matters of that particular day. Sometimes it leaded to her sharing some of her stories. Occasionally they ended up in a discussion. Even though they both had the tendency to fiercely defend their positions, it never got ugly. He usually took homework with him that needed to be corrected. She didn't mind, she said. He shared his opinions about some papers. Obviously the level of intelligence hadn't raised with the years, he found on a regular base.

Sometimes, during the daytime, he found himself longing for her reaction to something that had just happened. He had to suppress the urge to run up those stairs to tell her right away. But he was good at suppressing urges, it was his second nature.

He noticed Blair from afar. The young man was travelling in a pack of cheering friends. As they passed him, he moved in and positioned himself behind Blair. He pushed his wand in the boy's back and hissed: "Don't make a sound. Step aside."

The eighteen year old looked back at him with scared eyes as he followed the instructions. His friends moved on, not missing him in the crowd.

Severus led the boy into the lavatory and locked it with a couple of spells. He did not want to be interrupted by unwelcome visitors. He had only turned away for a fraction of a second, but it had been enough for Blair to put his wand out. Severus cursed. He should know better then underestimating an enemy. The young man tried to steady his hand. "What do you want!" he squealed. Severus swiftly disarmed him with an unimpressed smile. As he came closer, Blair moved back against one of the sinks. His eyes grew larger when he recognized the former Headmaster of Hogwarts.

"You're.. you're that bloke! From the war!" He could simply not grasp what he saw in front of him. Severus put his face so close, their noses almost touched. "Now that we 've established that, I don't have to show you what I'm capable off doing, do I? That saves us a lot of time."

Blair looked almost like fainting. "But you're dead, man! What are you, a ghost?" Severus put his wand up to the young man's throat, stressing his words. "Tell me what you know about the Animus Reprehendo."

Blair swallowed and obviously tried to buy himself time. "The what?" His question was rewarded with the wand pressing deeper into his flesh.

"Okay, okay!" Sweat ran down his face. Severus took a step back to let the boy put some water on his face. Opening the tab, Blair avoided looking into the mirror. He tried to calm down his flushed skin by dipping it with water.

"I'm not a patient man."

Blair looked up and their eyes met. Severus could not imagine Jasona being attracted to this lump of meat. The boy was obviously on the verge of pissing his own pants which, according to Severus, definitely represented a lack of character. Blair tried to smile but it looked more like a nervous twitch. "What do you want to know?"

Severus sighed. He could tell this was going to take a long time and he had better things to do with his time. Other places to be. Other people to see. He shook his thoughts off. He put his wand up again.

"Legilimens!"

At once he saw flashes of Blair's memories. Stealing the ball from a locked drawer. Then a slender man, probably Blair's father, aiming the Animus Reprehendo at a child resembling young Blair in front of him. The child cried but his father was unforgiving. Blair was transported into a vacant painting in the family room, his face showing that this was not his first trip.

Severus lowered his wand and turned Blair around. He violently grabbed his collar. "How did you get out of the painting!" he demanded to know. The young man shivered with fear. "It just happens .. after an hour, doesn't it?" Tears welled in his eyes. "This is because of Jasona, isn't it? I .. I don't know what happened to her! I only wanted to scare the hell out of her for an hour, but she just disappeared!"

He stared at the young man in disbelief. "So you always came back after an hour?" Blair nodded, wiping his nose and making a disgusting sound. "Well, sometimes my mother released me sooner when my dad went out for a drink."

A fresh sense of hurry came over him. He wanted to go back, to make sure she was save. This nitwit could end his suffering .. _her_ suffering, he reminded himself.

"Say it."

Blair opened and closed his mouth again, like a goldfish.

"Say it!" Severus knew hope had leaked from his voice and he could see the idea of controlling the encounter entered Blair's head. "Let go, you're hurting me." He said with a shrill voice. Severus released him on the spot. He took a step back and waited for the spell. "So?"

Blair sighed dramatically. "I'll give it a go then. But if she's dead and a corpse turns up somewhere, don't go blaming me!" Severus impatiently gestured him to get on with it. Blair picked his wand up from the bathroom floor and waved it in a deadly way. "Solvo Animus!"

They both waited but of course nothing happened. There was an uncomfortable silence. Severus thought out loud. "What happened to you when you left the painting?" Blair shrugged. "Nothing, I got on with my life."

"No!" he reminded himself to stay calm. "When you went to _another_ painting." The young man frowned. "Leave? You can't leave! It's a bit of a trap!" Severus squeezed his eyes. "But what if she _did_." Blair's eyes widened. "Dude! You think that's what happened? But that's brilliant! I need to know how she did that!"

Severus pushed him up the wall. "Where did your father get if?" In his anguish, he had been too rough. Tears of pain ran down his opponents face. His breath was short. The fear had returned in his eyes. "I .. I don't know!" Before Severus could put up his wand to force the memory out of him, he was pushed away with what seemed to be all the strength the young man possessed. Severus tripped over his cape and fell down hard. He lost grip of his wand and saw it rolling into one of the cubicles.

Blair looked down at him, almost in a hysterical way. He pointed his wand at the sink and uttered:

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Severus saw the sink break from the wall. It levitated towards him, pausing right above his head. He realised what Blair was about to do and summoned his wand. He was not going to be defeated by an idiot! He felt a heavy mass hitting his head.

Pain.

Dark.

Black.

Nothing.

#


	4. Tension

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

* * *

**Tension**

Jasona had been waiting for Severus to spent the evening with her for a long time now. He usually came up right after dinner, but maybe he had something to do before he could come up here. It had only been an hour or so since he should have been here, but she felt impatient. She had gotten used to his presence and she loved it when he told her about his day. It made her feel part of his life, part of _him_. When he took out the homework - she had forgotten which class it was for, he had told her, but she had been distracted by the passionate look in his eyes - it was time for her new game.

She had never seen anyone so intently at work as him. The parchment scrolls absorbed him whole. Her game was, to silently distract him. She´d make sudden moves he would only be able to detect from the corner of his eye, or soft sounds, like the sound of an owl. When he looked up, he smiled and told her what he´d just read. It was interesting to find out how far she could pursue this game before he realised he was being manipulated. She didn´t always play though. Sometimes she just sat down and looked at him.

She was still angry, extremely angry with him for refusing to explain his physical form, but she could no longer deny her strong feelings for him. She would die before she´d tell him of course. She knew he only came up here out of quilt. Sure, he like her. And she dared even say he felt some attraction towards her. But Professor Severus Snape was a man on a mission and nothing would distract him from reaching his goal. Apparently he had a personal history with the little metal ball that had gotten her here.

Suddenly she felt a strange sensation in her limbs. She felt as if she was pulled apart from the inside, as if some creature was trying to get out of her. She panicked, she had trouble breathing. She got up, gulping for air. She tried to find support but couldn´t find any. She fainted before she hit the floor.

Her hand touched her sore head. She must have hit something hard when she fell. She moaned softly. The moment she opened her eyes, she wanted to close them again. She must be dreaming. Her mind was playing mean tricks on her. She could simply not believe she was laying on the hard tower floor - outside the painting! She got up slowly and looked around. What had just happened? How had she been thrown out? Had Severus found the solution .. but why wasn´t he with her? Fear entered her heart. There must be something wrong, something must have happened to him. She felt there ought to be a connection between his absence and her release. She didn´t know what to do. Her feelings were torn between relieve and worry. What if no one else knew he was hurt? What if he was all alone! Maybe he was in mortal danger .. Every second could count. Muse would know where he was! She opened the door and kept running until she reached the Headmasters' office, completely out of breath.

She entered without knocking. Muse was sitting behind his desk and looked up as she stormed in. He slowly got up.

"Welcome back, miss Donova."

She didn´t stop to wonder why the Headmaster didn´t seem surprised. "Severus .. he´s hurt! You must find him! He should have been back and he isn´t, and now _I´m_ back and he´s not, and I´m worried .." Her voice was thick from holding back her tears. Muse put an arm around her and sat her down in a chair next to the door.

"It´s all right dear, take a deep breath now."

Jasona shook her head. "No, you don´t understand! He must be hurt!" Muse looked down at her in a pensive way. "Now that couldn´t be. Professor Snape is already dead." For a moment she thought that he meant Severus had died earlier that day. Her heart stood still and she gasped. Then she understood what he was saying, that Severus had died in the War.

What she didn´t understand though, was why Muse wasn´t worried! Clearly she had seen Severus alive, and that meant he could die! But she wasn´t prepared to discuss the matter while his feared death could be happening right this moment!

Muse turned away to pour her a butterbeer. He smiled at her. "Everything will be fine. Just drink this. You´ll feel much better afterwards." He sensed her reply and held up his hand in dismissal.

"Ah. I don´t want to hear a sound from you until you drank the whole glass. Trust me, it _will_ make you feel better." She reluctantly took a sip. She realised she stormed into Muses office, weeks after she had vanished, claiming a dead Professor she never could have met was in danger. She now felt ashamed for putting the people she most cared about through so much misery because of her stupid, pointless sense of pride.

The door flew open again and a black cape rushed by. Severus stopped in front of the Headmasters desk. His tone was higher and more rushed then usual. "She´s gone! I don´t know what happened to her, but she´s not there any more .. and it´s all my fault! Again .."

Gratitude flowed through her body when she got up in relief. She could only whisper his name. He spun around at the sound of her voice and stared at her for a second. His face, paler then usual, was bruised and dirty with dried blood. His eyes were sunken in fear.

She felt his arms around her. He almost crushed her bones but she didn´t care. She answered his embrace and smiled up to him through her tears. He pressed his lips on hers and took possession of every cell in her shaking body. All she could do was surrender, his touch was all she longed for.

An amused voice forced her back into the room. "When you youngsters have finished greeting each other, I would like you both to sit down."

Severus withdrew immediately. She felt his embarrassment, he was not used to showing his affections in public. She noticed he avoided her eyes as they sat down. She fought the urge to touch his hand. He needed to process what had just happened, she understood. The best thing to do was to give him time, show him she cared and he would open up like an oyster. Her heart jumped of joy. He had been worried for her. He must really care.

#

"I´m curious to hear, Severus," Muse paused a moment when he looked at theman sitting in front of him, "if you did indeed find the person who can help us solve the case of the Animus Reprehendo?"

Severus was glad for the opportunity to talk. The moment he had seen her, alive and well, a relieve he could not remember ever feeling before had taken possession of him. He forgot the world around him, all he could think of, was being with her, holding her close. And he had. He wanted more though, he needed it. As soon as Muse was finished he would lure her into his chamber and make her forget every other man she´d been with. Especially _Blair_. His inappropriate feelings for her had been a constant struggle for the last couple of weeks, but he knew now that it was stronger than him.

His feelings weren't natural anyway. He was a Professor, for Merlin's sake! He had realised some time last week, that it was the Animus that drew them together. And, he thought with a smirk, if you can't beat them -- .

He heard himself talk about his meeting with the idiot and noticed Jasona stir. Did she still have feelings for the boy? Was she surprised that it was _his_ doing that took a month of her life? He remembered her denial the week before, when he had told her of his suspicion. A familiar feeling crept in his heart. A feeling from another lifetime, something he had promised himself never to feel again. But she was not Lily, and Blair was not James.

It took him a moment to realise what the girl had suggested. He stared at her in shock.

"No! We can _not_ destroy the ball!" he exclaimed. The thought of going back into his painting on the wall before having been close to her was almost maddeningly painful. He looked at Muse to help him out. The Headmaster smiled again. Severus had never noticed how much he did that before. His eye met the twinkle in the painting right behind the Headmasters' desk. He could tell that Dumbledore saw right through him, knew exactly what was on his mind. Well, the old wizard better keep it to himself, he thought crossly as he blurted out. "We will destroy it when the time is right."

Muse nodded in agreement. "There are still questions that need to be answered, dear, we have to know who got a hold on it in the first place." Yes. That was a good answer. Of course it was _the_ answer, but what if Muse would have changed his mind about his usefulness! After all, he_ had _let Blair escape!

Muse smiled at Jasona. "And how are you feeling? Do you think you are ready to face your classmates again?" She didn´t answer immediately. Then he heard her soft voice. "Yes Professor. I think I am."

He felt her eyes search his face. He could not afford to look at her again though. Not while they were still in the presence of the Headmaster. He rose from his chair. "I will escort her to her common room. Shall I come back tomorrow to continue our conversation, sir?" Muse agreed. He had the same twinkle in his eye as his former Headmaster had moments before. Severus choose to ignore.

He made sure he walked in front of her. He knew he would not be able to control himself once he looked into her eyes. She followed him without a word. It seemed to take ages before they reached the dungeons. He halted in front of his chamber and turned towards her, not sure how to invite her in yet. She had not noticed his sudden halt and bumped into him. She looked up and their eyes met.

His mouth went dry and he fought the urge to kiss her. He scraped his voice instead. "Would you .. like to come in .. for a drink?" He felt very self-conscious, waiting for her answer. Her smile told him she had understood. He unlocked the door and let her in.

His eyes did not leave hers as he took off his cape and blindly hung it beside the door. She stood in the middle of the room, waiting for him to make a move. A rush of excitement went through him, while he took a moment to look at her. She was so beautiful! Her eyes were burning with the same passion he felt.

He slowly unbuttoned his shirt as he walked towards her. As he stood in front of her, neither of them made a move to touch the other. They caressed each other with their eyes. Severus shirt slipped of his shoulders, showing his bare chest. She hesitantly touched him. He closed his eyes and could not suppress a moan. Her hands were soft and her curious journey drove him mad. He gently pressed her to his naked skin and kissed her. He wanted to feel her soft skin on his own.

He started to remove her clothes. She felt so warm. He wanted her more then he could express. Leading her to his bed, gently pushing her back, he looked down at her with a smile. She lay down on his sheet, her now naked body yearning for his touch. The urge to protect her from the bad world outside this chamber overtook him.

He realised it wasn´t lust he was feeling. This was love. He moved closer to her, drawn by her begging eyes. She kissed his shoulder and groaned with passion as his hands discovered her body.

#

Laying on her side, she watched him sleep. Her eyes moved over his naked body and she could not suppress a naughty smile. He had given her so much more then she could ever had hoped for! Sure, it had been painful, but she had expected it to be. Once he had realised this was her first time, he had been even more gentle. Gentle. It wasn´t a quality she would have connected to him, but it suited him fine.

He made a soft, content sound before he opened his eyes. He looked aside and his eyes smiled when they met hers. She started to glow inside, she recognised the burning desire for his touch. His hand moved towards her as he turned to her. It softly landed on her shoulder, and followed her curves towards her most intimate parts. He watched her gasp with a mischievous smile.

"You surprise me," he said softly. He moved closer as he teasingly kissed her chin. She smiled.

"Why?"

A lazy smile appeared on his lips as he pulled her body towards his. "I never would have guessed you were new at this .." She froze and looked at him suspiciously. What was he talking about? He didn´t seem to notice the effect of his words. His fingers caressed her back as he continued. "I assumed you were quite experienced after all I´ve heard."

The words hit her like a bullet. She instantly knew he had only slept with her because he thought she was easy. Just like all those guys who came up to her after Blair had stated she was the best he´d ever had. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm. "What have you heard?" She was surprised she managed to sound this airily. His mouth curled up when he answered her, teasingly touching her nose. "That you were a naughty little girl .. and Blair was the last to enjoy all .. this .."

His eyes wandered over her body.

She thought Severus was different, she thought he knew fact from gossip, but clearly he was just as shallow as everyone else! She didn´t feel like laying in his arms any more, it was the last thing she needed. Not with a man who didn´t care for her! Deeply hurt, she pulled away and covered her body. He looked at her in surprise. He sat up, he wanted to touch her face but she pushed him away.

"What´s the matter? Did I say something wrong?" He looked worried.

Well, he should be, for this was the last he´d seen of her body, she thought angrily. Never again would she allow him to touch her! She felt dirty and sick and needed to get away from him as quickly as possible. She got up and clumsily tried to put on her clothes under the sheet she´d taken with her. He followed her out of bed and looked at her with a frown.

"Do you need help?" Sarcasm leaked from his voice and she didn´t need to look at him to know he was angry too. Well let him be angry, she thought. What did she care?

Without uttering a single word to him, she got dressed and left his chamber. The moment she had pulled the door close behind her, she felt the first tears falling down her face. She ran to her common room as fast as she could manage, hoping the familiar faces of her friends would take away the pain she felt in her heart.

The next morning, she thought everything seemed like she had never been gone at all! Of course, everyone had hung on her every word to hear where she´d been, but she had put up a story that she couldn´t remember anything. That to her it was as if she had just slept for a long time.

Leila was most happy to have her back. She had been in the common room when Jasona had entered and everyone had just stared at her in shock. But Leila had run towards her and given her the hug she so desperately needed.

At breakfast, Muse had announced her return and she had been very reluctant to stand up to receive the applause from the Houses. Her eyes had met Severus´s. He sat at the teachers table, but he had averted his eyes from her before she could send him a mean look. She did not want to admit it pleased her to see him. Because it didn´t. At all.

Her first class was Potions, a subject she never cared for.

She was rather good at Charms and Transfiguration but all the other classes could not really hold her interest. She sat with Leila who was telling her about this new teacher they had.

".. and last week he let us all come in separately to talk about how much your disappearance had affected us!" Jasona turned around fast.

"What?"

This couldn´t be! She had forgotten that he was teaching now! Even the sight of him at the teachers table hadn´t made her remember! How dim was she! She panicked, she didn´t want to sit for two hours in this dungeon with the man who broke her heart! She got up, ready to leave, when he came in and closed the door. He walked to the front of the room while addressing the class.

"I see our lost student has returned. I´m sure everyone knows your story by now, miss Donova, so you can sit down and listen to what is _really important_." He had reached his desk and pointed these last words directly at her.

The colour disappeared out of her face and she sat down, humiliated. Leila whispered in her ear.

"He is a direct descendent of Severus Snape!"

Her friend laughed silently when she noticed the blank expression on her face.

"From the war? That statue in front of the school? Undercover spy? Voldemort. Harry Potter!"

Jasona knew the last two names, obviously, but still had no idea what Leila's excitement was all about. Leila sighed. "We wrote an essay about him last year, Jasona!" In spite of it all, Jasona had to smile. She never wrote any essays, she paid eager first-years to do it for her. She wondered if her friend had been Obliviated. Surely she would remember the man teaching was the same as the portrait she'd talked to in Muse´s office?

Leila misunderstood her smile and went on. "Muse has brought him in as a guest teacher for the sixth and seventh-years. He´s brilliant, but I think he is a bit scary ..."

Her voice trailed of when she noticed her teacher standing in front of their desk, his arms folded and looking extremely annoyed.

"Eager for a chat, Miss Canopée?" His voice had a malicious undertone Jasona had not noticed before. "Whatever could be more interesting right now," he put his hands on Leila's desk and leaned towards her, his face inches from hers. ".. then paying attention to what I'm about to teach you!"

Leila looked like she could burst out in tears at any moment.

Who did he think he was, treating her friend like that! War hero or not, she was not going to let him get away with this. "Professor Snape?" she felt the anger rise inside her.

Aggravatingly slow, he turned his head towards her. His cold look was the last draw she needed to pursue.

"Please continue the lesson, so we can all get out of here as soon as possible!"

She saw the anger flicker in his eyes. For a moment she though he was going to hit her, but he turned away instead. The victory she felt melted away with his words.

"I will see you after class, miss Donova."

#


	5. The War Inside

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

* * *

**The War Inside**

Severus's anger had not tempered by the end of the lesson. He gathered the ingredients that were used during today's lesson, as the classroom became empty. He knew she had remained in her seat, but he didn't look up. A stubbornness had come over him. If she wanted to be in time for her next class, she'd better start apologising, he thought with a smirk. She must have thought the same, for he heard her approach his desk. He waited for her to stand beside him before he looked up.

"Don't ever talk to me like that again or I will make you wish you had never been born."

His words didn't seem to impress her. She looked at him with blank eyes. His jaw twitched with annoyance. "Do you understand?"

"I won't let you talk to my friends like that. It's disgusting."

He squeezed his eyes. "You're not telling me how to behave in my own class, miss Donova. But you can be assured, I will ignore both you and miss Canopée from this day forward."

He could tell she didn't think he had budged enough. He felt like pulling her into his arms for a kiss. But after last nights' events, that was the last thing he should do. His declaration of love hadn't gone down as he had imagined**. **It was clear after her reaction, that she still loved Blair and that she was sorry she had shared the intimacy of her first time with Severus. She clearly had been very upset with what had happened, for it had been impossible for her to even look at him. She was probably angry with herself and projected it all on him.

All good and fine. The only thing that really bothered him was that he had _met _the object of her affection and he was just plain pathetic. How could _he_, Severus Snape, lower himself by feeling so strongly for a woman who clearly had different standards then himself?

He had done it again. He had fallen for a someone that could not love him back. He could not blame his feelings entirely on the Animus Reprehendo, he knew his attraction went deeper. But Blair could have her. He would step aside. What did he care, he would be gone in a little while anyway. It wasn't as if they would have a future together.

"In fact," he added, "why don't you give me a list of all the students you think I should ignore. That would make it easier for the both of us."

He pushed a piece of parchment her way and watched her scribble something down in anger. He turned away to put the ingredients he had gathered in to the storage behind his desk and sneered at her. "I advise you to behave as long as I'm here, miss Donova. Neither one of us would enjoy your detentions, so please be careful with what you say or do."

He heard her mutter something under her breath and couldn't suppress a smile. When he turned back at her, he made sure he had his mask back on. He gave her a cold smile. "You are dismissed."

Without giving him another look, she walked out. He was glad that he didn't have time to act on his despicable urge to call her back for a friendly word, for the first students for the next period were already arriving.

He was looking forward to that evening. He had a whole list of incantations he was planning to use on Blair and his father once he got his hands on them. The first place to look for them was obviously their family home. And that's where he would go. His eye wandered over the piece of parchment Jasona had written on. He picked it up and read the words.

"Ignore everyone! Don't talk to us at all!"

#

That evening Jasona was treated like a hero in her common room. Everywhere she looked she saw Slytherin banners with _her_ face instead of the snake. They all praised her for standing up against 'that greasy git.'

To her surprise though, their dislike for the Professor they were mocking, was only at the surface. She could sense a certain admiration, either in their eyes or voices, while they were dishing him. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was a Slytherin, just like them, and you didn't pass over that fact. She wondered how many of them would be star struck if they knew he wasn't a descendent of the man they kept comparing him to, but the hero himself! It felt good though to be around people again in the first place. Making fun of Professor Severus Snape with them, was a good bonus!

She had noticed his absence at dinner. Where could he have been? Was he looking for Leon? She caught herself being worried and pushed the feeling away. It was a ridiculous feeling. Useless also. She'd better concentrate on her anger with him. With Blair. With herself for being so easy – cause this time she really had been! How could she have walked into his chamber and let him have his way with her while she hardly knew him! No wonder he thought so little of her!

If ever she saw Leon Blair again, he would be crying for his mother when she was done with him! After all, he was the reason why she felt this way. She would never have been enchanted by the presence of the mysterious dark man if he hadn't put her into the position of meeting him in the first place! She would still have _some_ of her dignity left. Tears welled in her eyes. No, she didn't want to see Severus, she told herself. She didn't want him to hold her close.

She needed to be by herself, to get her head straight, so she excused herself from the common room, but no one noticed her leave in the excitement of the party. She didn't feel like going to bed just yet, so she decided to go for a walk instead. It was after hours so she had to be careful not to be seen.

She kept walking without really noticing where she went. Suddenly she heard a rumble. She hid behind a suit of armour, just in time before the door opened in front of her. She heard shuffles and someone groaned and let out a crude curse.

She would recognize that voice anywhere. Curiously, she peeked out from her hiding place and saw the man she had been thinking about all evening, leaning against the wall.

His robes were cut an torn. He took a step forward and she saw him limp. His face grimaced with every step he took. She couldn't help herself, she couldn't bare watching him struggle in pain. He didn't notice her apprehensive approach. She softly touched his arm.

"Severus?"

He jerked his head up and she saw shock in his eyes. He looked away and tried to take another step. He searched support from the wall. "Go away." he grunted. She ignored his request, how could he think she'd leave him in this state? She took his arm and put it around her shoulder, while her other arm swung around his waste to support him. She took a step and found he was much heavier than she had estimated. "I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing." He shook his head and she felt his resistance. "No .. My chamber." For a moment she wanted to ignore his preference, but then she decided to go with it. She knew it would not help him to go against his wishes, for he would let go of her and follow his own way.

It took them a long time to reach his chambers. During their silent journey she couldn't help but compare the difference with the day before, when they had walked this same corridor. She wondered what had happened to him. Who had done this? Would he tell her if she asked? Would he let her in after she had treated him so immaturely? She wondered why she cared. Had she not decided that he was bad for her?

She would just escort him to his chamber and call for help. She had no business staying by his side, even _if _she wanted to know where Leon was.

He mumbled the password and his chamber door opened for them to enter. She carefully let him fall down on the couch and watched him close his eyes in exhaustion. She took a step back, trying to locate the sources of his anguish. Then she noticed his right leg resting in an unnatural angle. His cloak had fallen open and blood was leaking through the many deep cuts in his skin. She couldn't believe that he had made it back to the castle with such serious injuries and a rush of tenderness for the helpless man laying on the couch came over her. She knelt down in front of him, touching his hand. He opened his eyes, darker then she'd ever seen them before, drowning in his pain.

"I can't mend bones .." Her voice broke. She pulled herself together. "I'm getting help."

He grabbed her wrist before she could get up, with a surprising strength for someone in his condition. "Don't .. need .. help. Wand." He breathed with difficulty. His hand tried to get inside his cloak to pull out his wand, but it was too hard. She leaned towards him and searched his cloak. She tried not to think of his nearness, she had to keep her head cool. She tried not to notice when his hand took a string of her hair and gently played with it. She tried not to notice the delirious smile that appeared on his face. She finally found his wand and took it out. Instead of taking it from her, he kept gazing at her with an strange look in his eyes.

"Kiss me," He whispered.

Her heart missed a beat and she couldn't speak. She jerked the wand in front of him, wishing he would just take it, but he didn't. When he closed his eyes again, she was certain he had fainted from the pain. Without thinking, she leaned into him and realised too late that this had been exactly what he was after.

His mouth found hers without any trouble. She couldn't control her emotions, for a moment she allowed herself the pleasure of the touch of his lips. But his moan was not the same as yesterday, this was a moan of suppressed pain. She gently pulled away, averting her eyes from his disappointed face.

"You're in no state to heal yourself. What's the spell." Her voice sounded harsh and she could tell he got the message.

#

For someone who had never healed before, she learned quite fast. The pain was fading and slowly the events of the evening came back to him. He had been ambushed by six wizards.

The kid, he persisted in calling Blair 'kid' now, had obviously alarmed his family, for the house had been abandoned. When he entered the living room, the six men had apparated right in front of him and before he could lift his wand, the curses had flown towards him. He shuddered at the memory. Their faces were unrecognisable and they took absolute pleasure in hurting him, He had not been able to successfully block their curses, let alone send one to any of the men torturing him . What had turned him into such a mediocre wizard! He hoped it was only due to lack of practise, because every other option was unacceptable to him.

He was tortured for the longest time. Only when there had been a loud knocking on the door and a Muggle police officer had peeked through the window to make sure everything was alright, the men had left him to his fate. It had taken him all of his strength to apparate before the door was knocked down and the Muggles had entered the house.

He watched the girl sleeping on the couch beside him. If it wasn't for her, he would never had made it back to his chamber. He should remember to thank her later. In flashes, the last couple of hours came back to him. Their long walk down the corridor. The worry in her eyes. His beg for a kiss ... He shut his eyes in humiliation. He was repulsed by his own weakness. What must she think of him! Clearly he was just as spineless as her ex boyfriend. So maybe that's why she gave in to him for a moment!

He checked his wounds. They were healed completely, no marks or scars to remind him of what happened. His broken leg had been mended. He got up and carefully tried to stand. It didn't hurt.

Jasona moved. She woke up and smiled when she saw him standing in front of her. He didn't want her to smile at him. Not like that. He didn't need her pity.

"I'm healed. It's time for you to go back to your room, miss Donova. Be careful when you leave, it would be extremely inappropriate if someone saw you coming out of my chamber."

The smile froze on her face as she rose from the couch. "You're welcome."

He saw the anger in her eyes. Good, that was much better then her pity. "Do you expect a reward for your services?" He managed to bring back the sarcasm in his voice. He ignored the sharp pain in his heart when he saw the hurt in her eyes, but he pushed it away. She shouldn't think he cared for her, she had no power over him!

He looked her up and down. "Your mother warned me about your compulsory need for attention .."

He was sorry about his remark before her hand hit his face. Her eyes spit fire, her voice was low with anger. "You spoke to my mother?" Before he could answer, her hand was up in the air again, but this time he was prepared. He caught her wrist. He knew she would not give up so easily so he took hold of her other wrist as well. She tried to wrench herself out of his lock but he was too strong. He saw her lose control of her anger as she started screaming at him.

"How dare you talk to my mother! You had no right to visit her! I hate you, you stupid git!" She kept fighting him. "Let go off me!" She pulled and pushed with all her might but all she managed to do was make a human knot. Turning her back towards his front side didn't improve the situation, for now her crossed arms pulled her close to his body. Severus ignored the feelings the struggle had arisen. Closing his eyes, he managed to express a word.

"Relax.." To his surprise it had the effect he asked for. The tension seemed to leave her stressed body and she leaned back to him. "Why?" she whispered.

#

The blond woman had looked him up and down. "I would offer you tea, but I know you rather drink those horrible liquids." He put up his friendliest smile. "Tea is fine." She shrugged and left him by himself.

He looked around the small living room. There was no evidence this woman knew Jasona at all. The only pictures hanging on the walls were those of Nadine Donova, taken at various exotic resorts, holding hands with many different wealthy looking men. She came back in and put a cup of hot tea in front of him. With an air of disinterest, she sat back in a comfortable chair and waited for him to talk, while she started polishing her nails.

Severus cleared his throat. "Headmaster Muse has informed you of your daughters' disappearance a couple of weeks ago .."

She looked up and sighed, almost disappointed. "Has she been found?" He shook his head and continued. "I am looking for clues that might help me find a way to bring her back."

"Why bother? I am sure she is better off where ever she is and if she's gone, it means one less of .." she waved her hand at him, ".. you people!"

Her attitude enraged him. Muse had informed him that Jasona's mother wasn't very much interested in her daughters well being, but this_ coldness_ was worse then he had expected. He fought the urge to shake the heart back into her, assuming she ever had one.

Nadine leaned into him as if she was going to tell him a secret. "She was a terrible child, always trouble that one. Couldn't take her anywhere without her breaking everything. Televisions, computers, lamps, cars .. everything!" She snorted. "People were afraid of her, you know. My husband said it was normal, but I say it's not! I rather locked her up in her room then take her with me! That way, she couldn't break any of my equipment, you see.."

She leaned back in her chair again, obviously proud of herself. "There was a time when I thought a good beating would put a stop to it, but she just went on with it. She was such an attention seeker, that one. I wouldn't be surprised if she just planned her disappearance and comfortable lies somewhere sunny, enjoying the rush of all those people looking for her. Mark my words, she will return without a scratch and love being the centre of attention!"

His voice trembled with anger at this ignorant Muggle behaviour. "You _do_ realise that children aren't able to control their magical abilities, don't you Mrs. Donova? I'm sure your husband must have mentioned that."

She suddenly looked at him in a different way. An understanding smile appeared on her face. "But you have a double agenda, _Professor_! Does your Headmaster know?"

He looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and confusion. "What are you talking about, woman." He knew he sounded impatient, which was not the way to work this woman, but he just couldn't help himself. Her laughter was shrill and unpleasant in his ears.

"You love my daughter!"

He didn't avert his eyes, even though a cold shock came over him. His feelings for the girl were strong and this woman, who had no business knowing his inner battles, had seen how much he cared. He sent her a cold smile.

"Your daughter is a very intelligent and accomplished witch. My intentions are purely to look out for her academic future."

His reply didn't make much of an impression. She sat down on the couch beside him and leaned into him. She searched his face. "I know a man in love when I see one. That's how I make a living." She touched his face and it took him a lot of strength not to pull away. "What interests me, is why someone with your .. unattractive appearance .. fools himself into believing he has a chance." Her hand fell. It absent-mindedly played with his collar as she stared in the distance. "I know she is fat, but she has her standards. She _is_ after all, my daughter! I've seen pictures of boys she has dated, I know her taste in men .." Her eyes turned back to him. "And you're not it, darling!"

He threw her hand off and suppressed the urge to hurt the woman sitting beside him. "Thank you for your disposition. Can you please tell me .."

She cut him off with a demeaning smile. "What do you expect? You're _my_ age!" Severus got up, he had enough of this woman. "I can assure you that I am _not _your age and as for the rest, I don't see how that's any of your concern." He stepped away. "Thank you for the tea."

Walking towards the door, her malicious laughter followed him. "If you manage to put her under your _spell_, please don't make babies .. The worlds isn't ready for the combined looks of the two of you!"

#

"Why?" Severus repeated her question. "Because I had to rule out every possibility. I hoped maybe she could tell me more about your childhood, possible family members who might have wanted to hurt you."

Jasona was still leaning into him, he was still holding her wrists. His hold had changed though, his touch contained all the tenderness he dared not show her. He could feel her silent laugh. "Well .. there is one .."

She stepped away and he immediately missed her presence. She turned towards him and searched his face. "You could have asked _me_..." The accusation in her eyes made him feel worse than her anger had. He turned away from her. He needed a drink.

Severus walked to the cabinet and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Take me with you." Her question surprised him. He turned around to see what she meant. "Next time you go after him. Take me with you."

#

She needed him to say "yes." He had to. It wasn't that she needed to spent more time with him, certainly not! Tonight had proven to her that he was impossible to be around, the least he could have done was to acknowledge her help. It wasn't even necessary to thank her, but to sent her off like _that_, was just cold.

The thought that he had shared a conversation with her mother, that they had talked about her, probably even made jokes about her without her knowledge, was more than she could bear. Her mother had always had a way with people. She pointed out Jasona's flaws to her friends and after that, they usually didn't want to hang out with her any more. Early in life, she had learned she'd better not take her friends home with her. She was afraid her mother had set Severus up against her as well. That her mother was the reason why he had started to doubt her. His good opinion lost, was lost forever. That much she was sure of.

"I want to be there, to look him in the eye before I curse him to Hell." she explained. He put down his glass and searched her face. "There's no room for emotions in war," he said coldly. She disagreed but thought it was wise not to tell him. She smiled softly.

"You can't fight a war alone, Severus."

Something flickered behind his eyes. He didn't answer her for a while. Then he lifted his glass again and beamed at her. "You have school." She shook her head, knowing he was about to cave.

"Tomorrow is the last day before the Christmas Holidays. We will have fourteen days to track him down. Together we will have more of a chance."

He sighed impatiently but the annoyance didn't reflect in his eyes. She held her breath, afraid any sound she'd make could change the outcome of his decision. He turned his back on her as he pulled his drink in one draw.

"Don't pack too much. I like to travel light."

#


	6. The Colour Purple

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

**One more chapter after this one .. I will try to upload it as soon as I can. :)**

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**The Colour Purple**

"Severus, I have an assignment for you."

Severus Snape watched the deformed man in front of him. Even after all this time, he had not gotten used to the sight of the snake-like man. Looking into the face of pure evil, just wasn't a pretty sight. Voldemort leaned back in his chair, and looked his most loyal servant up and down. Severus felt that he was trying to look inside his mind, like always, but he had shut it off. It had become his second nature, never letting anyone show his true self, never letting anyone near. It seemed easier to live this way, it didn't hurt as much as the alternative.

Of course there were times, especially late at night, when he felt lonely. Sometimes he would give in to the feeling and invite the memories. Memories of bright and sunny days, shared with the most caring girl he had ever met. With a glass of wine, he would curl up in front of his fireplace. He would cast his patronus and stared at it. Treasured it. Felt the pain of loss. One night, long ago, his longing had driven him to the Mirror of Erised, and he had sat in front of it, watching her smile at him until he could cry no more. Dumbledore had found him the next morning and in his understanding, had turned the mirror away. Then he had focussed on the broken man lying on the floor and escorted him back to his chambers.

Needless to say, he never went back. Facing her was more than he could bear, his love was too deep, his longing too great.

But this was certainly not the best time to reminisce, he thought with a smirk. What if the Dark Lord would catch even a fraction of his thought – his life would not be certain any more! Everything he had worked for all these years would be in vain. He emptied his mind thoroughly and looked into the red slits in front of him.

"What can I do for you, my Lord and Master?" he bowed deep.

"I'm concerned with the mortality of my followers. I want _you_ to find a way in which they can fight but not be killed." Severus managed to hold his mask, but inside a fear crept up. He nodded.

"The potion of .."

Voldemort made an impatient gesture and rose from his chair. He held Severus's eyes in a lock.

"That's not good enough. I need to capture their .. _essence_. I want an unbeatable army! The inferi .."

For a moment it seemed like he wanted to confide in Severus but he changed his mind. His eyes moved away and lingered on the giant snake in the corner of the room. "I should be the one and only to decide whether my followers live or die."

"There is no greater honour than receiving death from your powerful hands, my Lord." For a moment Severus detected an amused smile, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.

"You will lead the project. I have faith in your scientific abilities. There will be a restricted floor at your service at the Ministry, and Severus," his evil eyes squeezed together, "No one is to know about this." Severus gave a short nod, but he wasn't as certain as he seemed in the least.

"Of course. And Hogwarts?"

"There is no reason why you shouldn't stay on there. The Carrows can keep an extra eye on the students and teachers when you are otherwise occupied."

That was a relief. He could not abandon the school, _he_ was the only reason why no students had died so far, and he wasn't prepared to let them die now. The cruelty of allowing the students practice Unforgivable Curses on each other was a necessary sacrifice of their innocence. After all, many of them would sooner or later find themselves in the situation where they should have to fight for their lives and this torture was a small price they would have to pay for their survival.

He bowed again for the Dark Lord standing in front of him. "I will not let you down, Maser."

#

Five long months passed by. Spring arrived. Severus had some meetings with Voldemort during the short periods of time he was in the country, but never could he enlighten him with the words his Master wanted to hear. Every possible potion and spell had been rejected until the beginning of March. Severus had conjured the idea of capturing the Death Eathers essences in an object. This would keep them alive even when they were killed. Putting the essence back in the men would bring them back as they were.

This had interested the Dark Lord a great deal. Severus had let his assistants work on it and it had been surprisingly easy to make it theoretically work. Within days, they had started on the first concept. But then the difficulties had begun. In order to know whether the prototypes worked, they had to be tested.

Coldwater had been very excited and had offered to be the guinea pig, but Severus would not hear such things. It was out of the question that any human essence would ever get ripped apart for the benefit of this project if he could prevent it.

But Voldemort thought differently. To start with, lower beings who not shared the same genetics would be a waste of time. No, testing on humans was an excellent progression, but only those who could be wasted of course.

To Severus's disgust, every day a few of the convicted Muggleborn witches and wizards, were sent to his laboratory for experiments. The memory of the first fatal accidents was horrifying. After a couple of days he could not bring himself to watch exploding bodies any more and it tore his soul apart, knowing there was nothing he could do to save the lives of these unfortunate witches and wizards.

He started avoiding the Ministry during the day. In the evenings, when his assistances had gone back to their families, he would look through their notes, hoping he would find a way to stop this horrible experiment.

Surprisingly enough, the answer to his anguish came from none other than Lucius Malfoy. One evening, after another discomforting conversation with the Dark Lord, he had sat down in Malfoy Manor's living room for a strong drink, when Lucius had come in. In the past, the men had been close. Well, as close as two people who distanced themselves from the outside world could be. But Lucius's coldness towards his feelings for a Mudblood like Lily Evans and his refusal to understand what she meant to him, had driven a wedge between them long before the Dark Lord had fallen.

Severus looked up to the once proud man. Dark shadows, caused by worry, were showing under Lucius's eyes. Part of him felt sorry for his old friend. Lucius did not deserve the wrath that had befallen on him. He made a gesture to join him, which was taken with hidden gratitude. Lucius sighed as he sat back in front of the fireplace.

Severus poured him a drink. Both men sat for a while, taken up in their own thoughts.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Lucius swirled his glass slowly between his long fingers, while he stared into the fireplace. "How our choices define us." Severus didn't answer. Instead, he carefully put his glass down and waited for Lucius to elaborate. He didn't have to wait for long.

"I need your advice, Severus, for old time sake." His gaze met Severus's. "You're as close to the Dark Lord as I once was. I was the one who told you Evans was in danger .." His eyes moved back to the fire, unsure how to continue. "Severus, please return the favour."

He kept silent for a long time. He was still grateful that Lucius had come to him that forsaken evening, to tell that Voldemort considered only one newborn to be the enemy that the Prophecy had spoken off.

"It didn't safe her."

It sounded trivial, as if he didn't care. Lucius turned back to him, his eyes glistening with hold back tears of fear and frustration. "Tell me," he whispered. Severus picked up his glass and sat back, studying his old friend.

"You already know my answer, Lucius. You also know that it's your destiny. You can't outrun the Dark Lord once he's set his mind upon you." Lucius nodded slowly. "I am willing to give up my life for him, but Narcissa .. and Draco, he is still a boy."

It hurt Severus to keep his act up. Finally Lucius felt a fraction of what he had felt, so many years ago. He slightly tilted his head and asked in a silky voice: "Are you questioning the ways of the Dark Lord, Lucius?" Guilt and fear were seen of the aristocratic man in front of him. But it was gone as soon as it had surfaced. Lucius sipped his wine before he spoke in his trademark haughty way.

"That almost sounds like an accusation. Are you sure you want to go down that line?" Severus's lip curled slightly in an answer.

They sipped their wine for a wile. Lucius studied Severus's face. "So, what's on _your _mind lately?"

Severus shrugged and answered airily. "The essence of life."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "That's rather .. deep, isn't it?" Severus didn't have to answer. A door opened and a high pitched voice called for the man sitting opposite him. The little colour he had, left Lucius's face. Severus knew that the man was about to be used to cool down Voldemorts frustration about the failing project.

As the man rose from his seat and walked towards his Master as gracefully as he could manage, Severus felt a rush of sympathy towards the beaten man. Before he walked through the door, Lucius turned back to Severus for a moment and smiled quietly.

"Try looking for the essence in yourself first. After that, life is easy."

It took him a month to finish the potion that would extract a part of his own essence. He stared at the cup in his hand, for a moment doubting whether to go on with it or not. But he had to, there was no choice. The liquid had no colour or smell, but tasted bitter. He gulped it down in one draw. He waited, but nothing happened. Impatiently, he looked at the parchment on which he had written his notes. He could not see where he might have gone wrong, the potion should work.

Suddenly he felt a strange sensation rushing through his veins. His fingers started to tingle and his head felt heavy. A nausea came over him and he started to heave. He quickly ran to another cauldron that he had put on the floor earlier and fell down on his knees in front of it. It was like he was throwing up all his intestines, every retch hurt more than the one before.

Finally it stopped. Exhausted, he looked down in the cauldron and saw it was filled with a thick, dark purple liquid.

So_ this_ was his essence, he thought curiously.

He wondered if the colour said anything about the state of his soul. He tried to recollect what he knew of the colour purple. First of all, it stood for Royalty. He smirked. Well, he wasn't royal, that was a certainty. Other associations with the colour came to mind.

Nobility, possible moodiness, wisdom, mourning, passionate and strong willed, magic and mystery .. Well that seemed to be more like him.

He got up to get one of the metallic balls. Their creation was purposed to catch a piece of the Death Eaters' soul. He dropped it in the liquid and watched it twirl. Bubbles appeared as if the liquid was cooking. The ball sucked his essence in and turned purple. When it had filled itself, it stopped twirling and the bubbles went away.

Severus put out his wand. "Leviosa."

He watched the ball rise out of the liquid and plucked it out of the air. Turning it in his hand, he wondered if he would ever be truly happy. He opened the ball, curious about what would happen.

The essence floated around the ball for a moment, before it found it's way back to him.

#

His assistances were sceptic about the purple ball, but they were careful not to show it. They were well acquainted with his temper and thought it best to give in to his demand to use the object he created, for once.

He had refused to tell them what he had done to it and they didn't really care. This would probably fail as much as their own experiments.

The convicted test witch was shaking, still emotional to have been pronounced a cheat and uncertain what her fate would be.

"Please .. don't harm my child .." she begged as she protected her belly with her hands.

Severus noticed her pregnancy, he estimated she was well in her seventh month. He averted his eyes, he wouldn't allow her to let him make the mistake of doing something stupid, like protecting her. There was something about her that touched a strain inside. He decided it was in everyone's best interest if the experiment would start immediately: The sooner it would be finished.

Rozencrantz was still examining the ball and he took it out of her hands. He uttered the spell.

Immediately a cloud appeared from it, a purple one instead of the usual mist. By his calculations his essence should protect the outer layers of the victim once it entered her body, transporting her essence back to the ball. But as soon as the fog penetrated the scared woman, she disappeared in thin air.

Severus turned on the spot, uncertain what had just happened. Rozencrantz and the other assistances looked at him with bewildered expressions. "Where did she go!" Rozencrantz demanded to know. Severus hesitated and looked at the ball in his hand. Nothing seemed to have come back to it. He made sure his mask was still covering his face.

"It worked."

Doubt and surprise were lingering on his assistances faces. He held up the ball and smirked. Their faces dropped and there were excited exclamations. Rozencrantz held out her hand to touch the ball. She turned it carefully in her hands before she looked up.

"How does it work, Professor Snape?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her, using his finest sneer. "Isn't it obvious?" She blushed and took a step back. In her nerves, the ball slipped from her fingers and, before anyone could help it, crashed on the laboratory floor. Exactly at that moment, the disappeared witch returned, soaking wet and gasping for air.

She was in a complete and utter panic. Severus was afraid she might fall into a shock so he brusquely ordered Rozencrantz to calm the woman down.

After some time, he heard fragments of the woman's whimpering. "Can't swim .. almost drowned .." He picked up another ball from the box he'd brought with him and studied it in thought. If she'd been inside the ball, it might have been foggy, maybe even damp, but people don't just drown in fog. When he looked up, frustrated, his eyes met the only painting on the wall. A peaceful sea sight, with seagulls flying in search for food.

Suddenly he understood what had happened.

He had immediately known what to do. Instead of making a soul transformation, he had created a possibly deathly weapon and he had to destroy every evidence of it. He looked at the woman in the corner who Limestone had dried with an Instant Drying Charm. He made a decision.

"No one moves." he snarled.

#

He looked down at the paperwork spread out in front of him on the desk. There was no way around it, everything had to be destroyed. It had to look like an accident though. He had to cover his tracks carefully too, Voldemort could not find out anything about what he had discovered.

Before they left, he had modified his assistances memories and made them believe they had been working on finding a new way to divide mind from matter. He picked up a book and read the definitions of essence.

"_All that exists has essence. The essence is the core of a being, it divines it. Without the essence the being is nothing, non-existing. _

_Essence and soul are different in the way that the soul can be touched, it can grow, experience and change. The essence is forever, nothing can influence a change in it. It does however recognize other essences and shows preferences to certain essences that are most compatible. _

_It is the essence that attracts partners, for it is pure and won't lie. Once an essence gets in contact with another essence, they will be connected. This connection is forever and will also touch the essences of generations after. The essences feel unexplainable attractions towards each other that will only result in a deep attachment towards each other when they share enough of the other components (see paragraph 28) to keep each other interested. _

_Pure essence is a powerful protection shield, since it is impenetrable. Using it is strongly discouraged. It is uncontrollable because of it's preferences and might turn itself on essences it recognises instead of protecting the caster of the essence. Once the essence is 'out there,' it will mix itself with the essence of the object it inhabits, leaving an imprint for it to recognise in future crossings._"

He massaged his temples. He was so tired. Tired of always being on guard. Always keeping his mask on. And especially tired of belonging nowhere. Sometimes all he wanted was someone to hold him in silence, someone who he could trust completely. He smirked at this thought. Never had he been able to give himself freely, not even to Lily. He had trusted Albus, but even _he _had betrayed him, as he had always known was a possibility. Albus had been the closest he'd had as a friend though and where had that led him?

His thoughts turned to the pregnant witch he had sent away earlier. He wondered how much she would be affected by his essence. They had been the only persons left after he had finished the memory charms on his staff.

She looked frightened when he had turned to her. "What are you going to do to me, Professor?"

He suddenly recognised her as Polly Hoover, one of his former students. She was in his top ten list of the worst potions students he had ever had the displeasure teaching. He felt a strange urge to sooth her, to assure her that nothing would happen to her. This annoyed him. He could not fall out of character, and surely she would run away screaming when her old potions master would try to hold her in his arms!

She took a step closer, searching his face when he didn't answer. His heart missed a beat and he was distracted by her near presence. He had never noticed how pretty she was before. He closed his eyes to concentrate on what he had to do, but this only highered his senses. He felt her hand touch his arm and a burning desire to touch her took him over.

He opened his eyes in shock, realising this must be the effect of his essence in her. She pulled her hand away as if she was burned and in her confused eyes he saw that she had experienced the same feeling. What a shock it must be for her, he thought with a sardonic smile, to feel an attraction of this intensity towards the greasy git she had loathed for most of her life! She'd probably blame it on her hormones, for any other explanation would be too unreal to grasp. Her big eyes looked up at him and filled with tears again. Understandable, for he would cry too if he were in her shoes. But her words took him by surprise.

"Can you open your heart and let me in?"

He stared at her, unable to find words to answer. Her gentle face brightened with a tender smile when she put her hand up to touch his face.

"What have you done to me?" she whispered, "What spell did you put on me?" It cost him all his strength to keep his mind straight. The feelings he had, _they_ had, could not be real. He could not afford to give in to them. He shook his head and turned away from her.

"You will have to disappear. Change everything , your looks, your name, your history." He felt an intense sensation travelling through his core. It was almost a mourning feeling, but for what, for whom? He turned back at her and saw tears streaming down her face. Her clenched fists were pressed to her heart and he realised it were _her_ feelings he had just felt. This was more than he could take.

It had taken him a lifetime to push away his inner life, he could not use her emotional breakouts!

Her next words made him realise that the connection was mutual. She could hardly speak and her face was distorted in what he now understood was _his_ pain.

"I'm not telling you who 'broke my heart.' I want to know if you understand what I just told you!" he snapped at her. She swallowed, nodded and probably understood exactly why he had lost his patience.

"Where do I go?" she asked, softly wiping away her tears. He shrugged.

"I don't know! Africa? Just make sure they won't find you!"

She nodded again. For a moment she hesitated whether she should go right away or say something first. He made the decision for her. "Go!" he growled. Again that sweet smile on her face and then he felt her arms around him, her warm body pressed to his. She hugged him intensely and whispered in his ear.

"You are a brave man, Severus Snape, but you would be braver still if you allowed yourself to be loved ." She was gone before he pulled himself together again.

#

This was ridiculous! He had wasted too much time already reminiscing, he would have enough time to do that after the war, he thought.

Oh, how he longed for the destruction of Voldemort! He had no idea what that Potter kid was up to, but Dumbledore seemed convinced that he would pull through. Well, rather sooner than later, for then he could finally let go of the stress he'd been under for the last eighteen years. He smirked. Maybe he could even pick up a hobby!

He got up and walked to the middle of the room where he had put all the evidence of the experiment on the floor. He put the book on top of the pile and sighed. The Dark Lord would _not_ be happy when he'd find out the experiment had failed.

Voldemorts' evil spirit had become worse over the past few months, his obsession to vanquish Potter consumed his very being. If only he could get in touch with Potter to tell him the vital information he needed to kill the Dark Lord! It would be hard to gain his trust of course. He could not think of any scenario where he'd meet Potter, in which the boy would just sit down and listen voluntarily. That is why, months ago, he had singled out all the memories the boy would need to come to the right conclusion. If it was necessary, he would throw him in a pensive himself, as long as this – all of this – was over. He put out his wand and pointed it at the pile. "Inferno!"

The fire destructed all the evidence, the balls melted in the heat and the purple mist found it's way back to him.

#

Severus looked at himself in the bathroom mirror before he splashed water on his face. Taking Jasona with him was probably the biggest mistake he'd ever make. But this way he could keep an eye on her, he told himself, this way he could prevent her from doing something stupid, like going after Blair on her own!

He easily discarded the fact that it would also be comforting because she would be close all the time. Damn the effect of his essence! It had turned him into a love sick fool, while he knew perfectly well that the connection between her and Blair had been there before he entered her life. So she would never be able to love him back as much as he loved her.

He left the bathroom and headed for the door. A grimness came over him. Let the hunt begin!

#


	7. the Essence of Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter. My stories are purely for entertainment value. I do not make profit out of them in any way.**

A/N I hope you all enjoy the last chapter of Framed! Thank you all for reading and reviewing! More reviews are more than welcome. :D

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**The Essence of Love**

Jasona had been sitting in front of Severus's chamber for most of the night and she couldn't remember ever sleeping less comfortable; Leaning to the doorpost, resting her head to his door. It was her way of making sure he wouldn't sneak out without her knowing. But it came with a price. She had hardly slept and every muscle in her body hurt. She checked her watch. It was seven AM. Would she dare going off to the bathroom for just two minutes? Before she could decide, the door opened behind her and she tumbled backwards. She let out a surprised screech. She was trying to compose herself when his silky voice made her smile up at him.

"I'm glad to see the evidence of your trust, miss Donova."

She laughed. The lack of sleep made his comment seem terribly funny. "Yes, I do show it, don't I?"

He raised an eyebrow and she could see her response was not what he had expected. She picked up her bag and gave him another radiant smile. "Let's go!" He searched her face with a sulky expression before he moved. He took up a pace.

"Where are we going? What's the plan?" She decided not to be annoyed when he didn't answer. After all, who knew how long they'd be stuck with each other? She'd better try and keep a positive attitude! As always, he walked in front of her, assuming she'd follow. His robes were flaring and she felt herself dreaming away at the constant tread. When she looked back up again, she found herself standing in the Shrieking Shack. She wondered why he had brought her here.

He didn't look comfortable, but she could tell he was trying to cover it up by pacing the floor. She waited for him to talk. Suddenly he turned to her, in his trademark way. His face was shut.

"We will bring him here. I'll make sure he won't be able to apparate. You will cast a patronus." He slightly shifted his head. "You _do_ know how to cast one, don't you?" He continued after her nod.

"His father will come, I'll get the information I need. You keep out of the way. Understood?"

She nodded again, though she had no clue how he thought all that would ever happen. He turned away from her and stared at the wall, his hands clutched behind his back.

"Find him for me."

She almost started to laugh. How was she supposed to do _that_! Did he think she could just close her eyes and picture him?

"Close your eyes and concentrate."

Apparently he did. She sighed. She might as well give it a go then. Closing her eyes, she couldn't resist asking. "And why exactly do you think I can find him?" She heard him turn back to her. He waited so long before he answered, she almost thought he would ignore her question. "Because you have a connection that I don't have."

Her eyes flew open and she spat. "I _don't _.."

He cut her off. "Concentrate!" She angrily shut her eyes again. 'Severus the Professor' was an arrogant pig and she hated that his tone had such an obedient effect on her. But fine, she _would_ concentrate. She thought of Leon and an image of him sleeping in a hotel room appeared in her head. He didn't seem at ease, she thought with a smile.

"What do you see?"

He sounded tensed. She shrugged. "Him being asleep." She realised that her picturing this, might convince him more that she and Blair had dated. But before she could say anything he had taken her in his arms. "Keep concentrating," he said in a silky tone. That was much easier said than done. She tried not to think of his warmth, of his touch, but kept the picture of Blair inside her mind instead. It was hard not to shiver when he spoke again.

"Take us there," he whispered in her ear. She nodded, half convinced they were not going to end up anywhere.

#

As soon as they had apparated, Severus took a step back from her. Her confused look told him she had not expected them to actually get there. He saw the boy sleeping as Jasona had told him. Without wasting another moment, he took her hand and walked to the bed. He stunned the boy, grabbed him by the arm and apparated back to the shack.

It was almost ironic that this was the place he had chosen to wrap up the pieces of his life. He had noticed a memorial plaque on the wall when he had told her to make a connection with Blair. Strangely enough, it had not moved him at all. It was like reading about someone he had never even met, a stranger.

They staggered on the floor and Severus almost lost his balance. He put Blair on a chair and cast a Body Binding spell on him. Now that the first part of his plan had gone so smoothly, he had to stop himself from assuming the rest would go just as easily. It was potentially dangerous and he wasn't prepared to be made a fool of again.

His first priority was to make sure they would not be surprised by anyone so he set up a number of protective charms. He noticed that Jasona had not moved since they had come back. Walking towards her, he saw that she had turned pale. Worried, he took her chin in his hand and checked her pupils for reaction.

"Jasona?"

She blinked.

"Did you get hurt?"

She slowly shook her head, staring at him as if she had never seen him before. Well, if she wasn't hurt then what was she wasting his time for!

"Then pull yourself back together!" he snapped at her. At least this gave her back some of her spirit, he thought with a slight smile, for she tore herself away from him and started a rant about him knowing things he kept from her and demanding he would clarify what had just happened to her – how she had been able to find a person by just picturing them.

"Not a person. Blair," he answered, sitting down at a shabby table. He noticed that the interior hadn't changed at all.

She crossed her arms and looked angry. "And that's it? That's all you're telling me? Listen, if you're not going to trust me soon, we will have a huge problem when Mr. Blair arrives," she sighed. "You have to tell me everything."

His insides were burning to share his thoughts and experiences, but it was too great a risk. The less people knew, the better.

"Cast a patronus," he said blankly.

"No."

He rose from the chair. "Don't act so childish. We have no time to get into a discussion. Just do what I've asked."

She checked if Blair's robes weren't too tight before she looked back at him. "Do it yourself." Her concern for the boy didn't improve his mood. He took her wrist and turned her towards him. She looked up at him in surprise and for a brief moment he recognised fear in her eyes.

"I _can't_," he hissed at her. He wasn't prepared to witness what form his patronus would take, now he had such strong feelings for the girl that was pulling herself out of his grip. He let go of her and she stared at him angrily.

Behind her, Blair was waking up. His heavy lid eyes looked around in wonder. "Where am I .. Jasona?"

She turned back to the boy and he hated that he couldn't see the expression on her face. In a flash of frustration he cast the spell and saw a silver figure find a way out of his wand. He could not hide the shock on his face.

#

She smiled when she heard him cast the spell. At least she won _this_ battle. Blair's eyes grew big as he looked over her shoulder. "The Silver Doe.. it really _is_ you .." he whispered.

Jasona turned back with a start. She couldn't believe her eyes. She looked up at Severus in disbelief.

"That's _my _patronus .." He slowly turned towards her, obviously confused.

"Since when?"

At that moment it hit Blair that he'd been captured and he started yelling. "Hey! Let me go!" He tried to loosen the robes. "I didn't have anything to do with it!" Severus pointed his wand at Blair without taking his eyes off her.

"Silencio!"

Even though there were still sounds of Blair struggling to break free, his yells were inaudible.

He repeated his question, this time more tensed. She hesitated. He wasn't telling _her_ anything, so why should she? It wasn't his business after all that her fathers' patronus had been a doe and her most happy memories were those of him.

"Since the first time I cast one," she decided to say. He searched her face for more, but he didn't find what he was looking for. In a moment of weakness she reached out to him, showing him her own doe.

Emotions she could not understand flashed upon his face. She looked at the two does and realised they were identical. She didn't understand, and the look on his face told her he didn't have the answer. How could they share identical Patronuses before they even met!

He brusquely turned away from her and focussed on Leon, who had stopped twisting and turning. He stared at them with an open mouth.

"And now Blair, we are going to send your daddy a message."

#

Two days had passed since they had watched the does disappear. The first hours had been of anticipation. Every sound had made them draw their wands. But the wait was long and the hours passed slowly. Blair had complained that the robes cut off his circulation and after a quiet discussion, Severus agreed to remove the robes and put Leon under a Leg Locker Curse.

They took short naps while the other held guard. To her frustration, she noticed that Severus was avoiding her as much as was possible in the little shack. He made sure he was only at the same side of the room when it was unavoidable and it seemed to take him great effort to talk to her, let alone to keep up a conversation. So she resolved in the company of Blair.

To her surprise, he had been very nice to her. His apology was heart-felt and he really was interested in her. He wanted to know how she had coped in the painting for so long. It was a strange comfort to know he knew what it was like to be trapped in a painting. He had opened up and told her about his own childhood. She was amazed to find they had so much in common. All the while she and Blair talked, she could feel Severus's eyes pierce in her back. She ignored it. If he didn't want to talk to her, so be it.

Christmas day arrived and they still had not heard from Blair Sr.

Food became a necessity. She suggested that she could visit Hogsmeade to buy some food. Severus didn't need much persuasion, she wasn't sure though if he agreed because of his own hunger or because of Blair's whining for food. Either way, she was glad to get out of the self-made prison for a moment.

The temperature inside had been below zero – and that had nothing to do with the snow outside. She was tired and hungry, and she felt like having a good cry. The evening before, Severus had abruptly interrupted a conversation between her and Blair. He had demanded to know why his father hadn't come for him yet. Leon was so scared of the black explosion that nothing more than stuttered phrases had come out of him.

This had angered Severus even more and he had turned his scowls towards her. "You're not a great help, are you! Why don't you keep guard and be useful for once, instead of cuddling with our hostage."

She didn't think it worth the effort to go against him so she had done what he'd asked. This seemed to cool him down a bit.

In their many talks, Blair had expressed his curiosity about Severus. How was it possible for a dead man to be here. What was his obsession with the purple ball. And of course, what was Jasona's relationship with him.

She never answered those questions. Partly because she couldn't. Especially his last question bothered her. All right, they had slept together. But that seemed a very long time ago! And he had never tried to show affection afterwards .. well except for when he was delirious and that didn't count.

Even though he had hurt her with his words, in the last few days she had started to suspect that they were uttered in some kind of jealousy. Could it be the explanation for his strange behaviour of the last few days as well? Her heart skipped a beat. She had to admit to herself that her feelings for Severus had not changed at all. He had to stop hiding himself from her though! Once this was all over, they had to sit down and she would force him to talk. She smiled cheekily. She _might _know how to get him to open up.

She turned a corner and before she realised what happened, someone had grabbed her from behind.

#

Severus was pacing the room. He sent a weary glare at the boy in the corner. He knew he was being a jealous git, but it gave him some pleasure at least, every time Blair looked at him in fright.

He had gone over all the facts these last couple of days and he could not add them up. What triggered him the most, were their matching Patronuses. That could only imply pure love, but how could she have loved him before they even met! Maybe she was right, maybe he should tell her more. Maybe, just maybe there was a chance that she would tell him what he so desperately wanted to hear. He made a decision. Right after they'd eaten – Merlin he was hungry! – he'd sit her down for that talk. He now wanted to know what he could expect, rather sooner than later!

Of course he'd have to put a Muffliato spell on the boy. His feelings were none of his business! Suddenly he felt much better than he'd felt for weeks.

#

He must have fallen asleep, he realised with a start. He looked around to see what had woken him up. He noticed the boy looking rather smug with himself.

"Snape!"

The voice was loud and came from outside. "I've got something you want and you've got something I want. Let's trade!"

Jasona! The bastard got his hands on her! Without thinking twice, he grabbed the boy and pushed him out of the door in front of him. He lay his wand on the boys' throat so he would not play a trick on him. When he opened the door, he saw them standing at the other side of the field.

Six men in masks, one of them holding Jasona, the way he was holding Blair. As far as he could see, she was fine. The men shouldn't know he was worried though. He pulled his face in a mask and talked without a trace of emotion.

"Give me the girl. If she's unharmed I might give you your son."

The men laughed. Blair Sr. tightened his hold on Jasona.

"You can keep Leon. Let's do this on _my_ terms."

Severus wasn't sure if he heard this correctly. He felt the boy tighten in his arms, he was obviously not as comfortable as he had been a minute ago.

"I don't think you are in a position for demands Blair!" he sneered.

"My son means _nothing_." Blair Sr.'s voice sounded disgusted as he pronounced the last word. "Let's cut the crap _Snape_," He let out a hollow laugh. "Give me back the Animus."

Severus felt a chill pass through him. He tried to stay calm. "Not so fast. Just out of interest, I'd like to know how it got into your possession in the first place."

Senior signed his men and they crept towards him, wands ready to strike. To his relief, Blair senior took the bait and elaborated.

"You don't remember my mother Snape? She was a big fan of yours. That is, when she thought you were a Death Eater. She used to work for you in the laboratory."

Severus squeezed his eyes. "Rosencrantz?"

"Good guess! She had the annoying habit of keeping backups of her works at home and every now and then she took a specimen with her as well. She took that Animus, the day _you _decided to wipe her memory!"

Blair's men now stood in a circle around him and young Blair.

"Dad?" The boy whimpered softly.

"Shut up!" His father responded. "Give me what I want Snape. If not, I will have to see if this girl might be more useful to the Order than her father was."

Thousands of questions swam through his mind, but he choose the most pressing one.

"What Order?"

At the same time, Jasona requested to know what Senior knew about her father. The man laughed evilly. "The Order of the Animus! We seek the secret that makes the purple Animus so powerful!"

He looked down at the girl he was holding captive. "We found the only witch that had been in the laboratory that day Professor Snape changed the experiment." He looked back up at Severus, whose stomach had turned at these words.

"Polly.."

"She said she didn't know anything and she killed herself before we could push her harder."

Severus swallowed with difficulty but kept his face straight.

Blair Sr.'s voice hardened. "Unfortunately she took my mother with her. Ever since, I've been looking for her descendent and there he was .." He pulled Jasona's head back so she had to look at him.

"Your dear father."

Severus forced himself to laugh, although part of him knew this was the truth. "And even _if _what you are saying is true, why bother with this family line!"

Senior wasn't amused. "Genetics! There must be something in their genes that protects them from blowing up!" The man seemed to have lost his patience. Jasona was in distress, he felt her pain.

_He felt her pain_? How could he? He grimaced.

Meanwhile Jasona demanded an answer from Senior. "My family was in Africa during the war! You've been killing the wrong people!"

"Yes, miss Hoover was hard to find, and I have to admit that her identity change was thoroughly well done. But she made the mistake of sending her son to Hogwarts when the invitation letter came."

Severus found it hard to keep focussing with all the feelings swimming through his body. _Miss_ Hoover?" Was all he could think of to say.

Blair Sr. let out a merciless laughter. "Let's get to business. You tell me what you know and I won't harm this girl. Or _you _for that matter."

Severus felt too much right now.

Realising that Jasona was Polly's grand daughter .. this meant that his essence possessed her in the third line! That was why he felt so attracted to her! Her father must have left some of his own essence during the experiments, which must have mixed with his. The intrusion would have transformed the texture.

This must have been why he had never felt the unbearable intensity with Jasona that he had felt in those few minutes alone with Polly.

The air was pregnant with electricity.

He was a strategist. He always knew what to do, was one step in front of his enemy. Except for two occasions, one of which was now.

Blair Sr. slowly came towards him, tugging Jasona along.

"And while you're talking, I'd be very interested to hear how it's possible for you to come back from the grave. Were you fed up with the after life?" He smirked. "Did Lily Potter still have _eyes_ for her husband only?"

It was strange to notice that this sneer didn't touch him at all. All he could feel was worry for Jasona and it was maddening that Senior still kept her head in such an angle that it made it impossible for him to see her eyes.

He knew she wasn't hurt, just very confused. And he could feel something else too. A different kind of worry. A worry about him! He was intrigued by it. An old memory surfaced. Big blue eyes looking into his, begging him to open his heart. Is that what he had done? Was that the reason why he could feel Jasona's .. love?

He had to close his heart again, this wasn't the place or the time to have those feelings. He had to concentrate on this man who was coming closer in a menacing way. He had to make sure the woman he loved wasn't hurt.

"You and your Order," He looked at the men that surrounded him in a condescending way. "have been searching in the wrong places." It became very quiet. "You see, the _essence,_" he smirked quietly, "isn't miss Donova's genes, but something completely different. Something that you could never grasp."

Severus felt Blair jr. moving under his hold, uttering another plead.

"Dad .."

Clearly the boy did not know how to choose his moments. If looks could kill, the boy would not have survived.

"I _said _'shut up'!" The suspense was turning into madness. "You've been a moron all your life, a waste of space! I'm disgusted to have a son like you!"

This must have been the straw for Leon Blair. He grabbed the wand out of the unsuspecting hand of his captivator and cast a powerful stunning spell. All the Order members around them fell down at once. The father lost his mind and ran towards his son, leaving Jasona behind.

"Idiot! I could _kill_ you!" Severus let go of the boy and look a step aside. It seemed better to let father and son fight this one alone.

His eyes found Jasona's. She stood there, uncertain what to do. He concentrated on her. "Whatever happens, keep yourself safe!" Her surprised look told him she got his message. She slowly nodded her head.

The screaming father had reached his defiant son. "Don't you _dare _aim that wand at your father!"

Leon hesitated and that was enough to get stunned. The next moment Severus felt Senior's wand pointing in the flesh of his throat.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." He said calm. Blair Sr. put his face closer and hissed. "I won't, if you just _tell _me what I want to know!"

Severus smirked when he felt the wand pulling away. "You are pathetic."

"Let go of him!" His heart froze when he heard her shaky voice. Didn't he tell her to save herself? Didn't she confirm that she would?

Senior turned his head and Severus saw Jasona aiming his own wand at the man. Blair Sr. turned towards her, laughing. "What's this?" he inquired. "A heroic performance from the fat girl?" He feigned an attack on Severus but turned and snapped the wand out of her fingers. He pushed her towards Severus, who was keeping his face straight under all the emotions he was feeling.

Blair shook his head at her and clacked his tongue. "Got the hots for the historical hero, darling?" He pointed his wand at Severus. "Crucio!"

The pain went through his every vain. He cringed and fell on the ground, moving his body parts, hoping it would release him of the pain. He could hear his own screams. The pain stopped all of the sudden.

Senior had angrily put his attention on Jasona, who was lying on the ground beside him, her face covered in tears of pain.

"What are you playing at, you stupid girl!" The man kicked her. Severus met her eyes and knew she understood what had happened between them, even though she couldn't.

He knew he could not let her get hurt anymore. He knew this had to come to a stop. Even if it meant the end of all. He raised himself to his arms and looked up at the angry man.

"Blair," he whispered. Senior looked back in anticipation. "I'm taking the Animus out of my robe now, you get what you want."

Senior didn't move, so Severus felt under his black cloak for the small purple ball and pulled it out. A mad smile appeared on the other man's face.

"Give it to me." He said quietly.

Severus got up on his feet, carefully holding the Animus. He held his hand out for Jasona, who needed his support. His eyes locked with hers. He knew what he had to do and he wished he didn't have to. He could feel her love for him and wanted to hold her close. One last time. He knew she would be save, his essence would protect them both.

He pulled her in his arms and smiled at her. She hesitantly smiled back. He could feel her insecurity, she did not foresee what was to happen. She must feel his emotional pain though, for she was trying to sooth him. His lips met hers in a burning passion. The kiss was beyond desire, it was a kiss of pure love.

He did not hear the angry, confused cries of the man witnessing their embrace. She filled his senses and he knew that he was on the verge of losing his grasp on reality. He took everything she offered him greedily, in the knowledge that this was all he would have.

He gave her all the love he possessed. With great strength he made himself pull back a little. He felt her resistance, she tried to pull him back. She had forgotten the world around them.

He felt the Animus, still in his hand. His arm sped through the air until it crashed to her back. Her eyes flew open, wondering what had happened. He saw the purple cloud surrounding them and he felt his own essence penetrating a way back inside of him.

He felt her get scared and pinched her hand as he took a step back. He vaguely noticed an angry scream and a green flash trying to enter their purple cloud. He didn't see the flash backfire on it's caster, nor did he care.

As the essence found it's way inside, he felt himself fading away. Finally she understood what was happening. She wasn't prepared to let him go. She desperately threw herself at him and the last thing he felt were her warm lips on his.

#

Jasona sat on a bench, staring at the statue in front of her. The last five months of her school year she had spent a lot of her time on this bench. This would be the last time though, she thought with a faint smile. Tomorrow she would step on the Hogwarts express, never to return.

She still did not understand all that had happened that Christmas morning. She knew what she had felt though! His love had filled her up, let her float and left her so empty, she knew no one else could ever fill her being, like he had.

She didn't even have to close her eyes to visualise those last few seconds. Everything had gone so fast. One moment she had laid on the ground, experiencing excruciating pains, the next she lay in his arms, experiencing unearthly feelings of love. Then he had broken the ball. On purpose.

She had been overwhelmed with feelings that had not been hers, from the moment she had learned that Severus had known her grandmother.

She had not understood what was happening to her at first. She'd thought that Blair Sr. had put a hex on her but when her eyes had met Severus's and his concerned message had reached her, she knew. In her understanding that they shared their love, she had nodded. She could not however, follow his instruction. You did not just abandon the one you loved, because you could be in danger! Others might accuse her of being Gryffindor, but she knew it was the right thing to do. So she had tried to rescue him from the tight spot he was in.

Thinking back, she did not regret that choice. What would have happened if she'd left? Without a wand, he could not do much.

In the months following the events, she had studied the brilliant Professor Severus Snape, and learned that in his past life he _would_ have been able to do just that. She had guessed that, whatever had brought him alive, must have brought back only part of him, _the man Severus_ and that his magical abilities were limited to those of ordinary witches and wizards.

She remembered those last seconds before he had faded. The connection between them had been most intense and she knew she would lose him forever. She had thrown herself in his arms and given him her all.

Her desperate kiss had been answered with an equal desperation and she had wanted the moment to last forever. But suddenly there had been just air.

When she had composed herself enough to take in what had happened, she noticed Blair Sr.'s lifeless body lying on the ground, beside his son's stunned body.

She had started to run back to Hogwarts with one hope in her mind. Maybe, just maybe ...

Muse had been waiting for her by the door of his office. He let her in without a word and left.

Her eyes found his at once. She rushed towards him and stood there, looking at him, unable to utter a single word to express her feelings. Her lips were shivering, but she refused to cry. She reached out to touch his face.

"No," He had whispered.

She saw the pain in his eyes. Her hand touched the canvas in which his face was imprisoned. He closed his eyes. "Severus .." She'd felt the tears running down her face. She had never felt this lost before. He opened his eyes at her plea and tried to smile, but she could see he was close to tears as well.

She had stood there for a long time, watching him, touching him, leaning her head to the painting. They did not need words to talk, they finally understood.

She never saw him again after that intense afternoon.

Seeing him would break her and she knew he felt the same. There were times though, when she was in class, studying, or laughing with her friends, when she could feel his presence. She never searched for his eyes, knowing that he would be gone the moment she'd search the paintings on the wall.

Jasona raised from the bench, taking one last look at the statue of the man she would never forget. His black eyes looked down at her, frozen in granite, captured in the pose he used when he wanted to show his authority. She smiled and touched her belly.

He was part of her body and soul.

#

Severus gazed around the empty office. All the other inhabitants had gone downstairs to see the sorting, but he had not done so for years. Time passed, students came and went, so what was the use of House Pride if you had nothing to look forward to but eternity? He sighed.

Not a day went by that he didn't think of _her._ Not in an obsessive way though, not like with Lily. He knew the feelings he'd had – still had – were answered. The memory of their moments together was what dragged him through this second rate existence.

He had never liked being a painting, but somehow it felt like a bitter-sweet blessing now. He would not want not to have known her. Besides the fact that if he wouldn't have been a painting, the secret of the Animus Reprehendo might have been discovered! Thank Merlin, Leon Blair had no memories of that day. At least, he _claimed _to. He had woken up from the stunning spell to find his father dead, surrounded by confused Order members. The men were sent to Azkaban for using the Killing Curse on Blair Sr. and supposedly Blair jr. was living somewhere in Ireland with his wife and kids.

The office door opened and he heard Muse's voice. "Just go inside. I will see you later."

A little boy with clean-cut black hair, entered the office, curiously looking around. Severus smirked when he noticed the Ravenclaw badge on his school uniform. He used to always hate kids like this: Well taken care of, oblivious to the bad world outside their bedroom.

But somehow this boy seemed different. He was scanning the walls as if he was looking for something. When their gazes met, the boy smiled.

He looked into his own eyes.

**- the End -**


End file.
